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Memo Royal Mail
6" July 2010 Legal Services
3" Floor
. 6a Eccleston Street
Post Office Security LONDON
SWIW 9LT
c.c: Jon Longman
Maureen Moors
www.royalmail-com
POST OFFICE LIMITED —v- JENNIFER O’DELL
CASE: POLTD/0910/0149
Having read the papers and also having spoken to Jon Longman, the evidence gives rise to an
offence of fraud/false accounting.
Briefly, following an audit on 6" January 2010, a loss of £9,616.66 was discovered at Great
Staughton Post Office. The Defendant, sub-Postmistress Mrs O’Dell, admits that she had
been inflating the monthly branch trading accounts since May 2009 to 30" December 2009 to
show a balance. However, she claims that the losses were the result of discrepancies on the
Horizon system.
It is well documented that Mrs O’Dell had contacted the Helpline on a number of occasions
informing them of the losses and also that she had been inflating the cash on hand figure to
cover these losses. The Defendant had been notifying the Helpline of her concerns since
August 2009, five months before she was audited in December 2009. I understand that two
weeks before the audit, she had written to her contracts manager, Sue Mudden, highlighting
her concerns.
The circumstances of the facts will cause difficulties in prosecuting this case and the Business
will come under grave criticism which the Defence will exploit as can be seen in recent
prosecution cases.
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Memo
Cont...
T also understand that the losses fall short of the £15,000 threshold and therefore this will not
be recovered by means of confiscation. 1 would therefore suggest that the losses are
recovered by means of civil recovery and the file sent to Mandy Talbot in the Civil Litigation
department.
In the circumstances, my view is that a caution should be administered in this case. Should
you agree with this course of action, I list below the offence for which Mrs O’Dell could be
cautioned.
“FOR THAT YOU JENNIFER O’DELL between 1° April 2009 and 30" December
2009 at Great Staughton Post Office, Huntingdon dishonestly made false
representations in the final branch trading accounts in the sum of £9,616.66 when you
had intended to make a gain for yourself or another or to expose Post Office Limited
to the risk of loss.”
(Contrary to Section 1 of the Fraud Act 2006).
Should you wish to discuss this advice, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Jarnail A Singh
Senior Lawyer
Criminal Law Division
CRM/265183/[ JS
© Royal Mail 2002 ~ Page [ PAGE ] of [ NUMPAGES ]
Royal Mail is a trading name of Royal Mail Group Limited, Registered number 4138203
Registered in England and Wales. Registered office: 100 Victoria Embankment, LONDON, EC4Y OHQ
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