POL00295392
POL00295392
From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
FYI
George Thomsot
Tue 26/06/2012
Paula Vennells{t_
Gilliland?
PRINTED Fwd: SubPostmasters class action against the Post Office - possible evidence
regarding Horizon errors etc.
Begin forwarded message:
From: "Amanda Cox"
Date: 26 June 2012 08:08:45 GMT+01:00
To: "Marilyn Stoddart" 4 20
Ce: "George Thomson" <
Subject: FW: SubPostmasters class action against the Post Office - possible evidence
regarding Horizon errors etc.
Amanda Cox
NFSP, Evelyn House
22 Windlesham Gardens
Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex
BN43 5AZ
web: www.nfsp.org.uk
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From: Steve Hibberd [mailto:
Sent: 25 June 2012 19:02
To: Amanda Cox
Subject: SubPostmasters class action against the Post Office - possible evidence regarding Horizon
errors etc.
Dear Sirs,
I have information that may potentially be of use regarding the above. The following incident suggests
to me that the Post Office may be regularly placing the blame for internal errors at the door of the
SubPostmaster, rather than accepting responsibility.
I have an Instant Saver Post Office account into which cash is regularly paid by my Tenants via a local sub-
post office.
On 11/5/12 a Tenant paid in £160 and received the Post Office receipt, but no money was credited to my
account. I queried this by making a formal complaint to the Post Office, while making enquiries at the
sub-post office in question. The former recorded the details and appeared to start some form of
investigation, while the Sub Post Office assured me that they were certain that the money had been
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correctly processed and that the money was probably in the Post Office system and would eventually
come to light.
The money was finally credited to my account without explanation on 7/6. I subsequently received a
phone call from the Post Offices Centre in Northern Ireland on 25/6 and was told that the money had
gone missing due to ‘a lodgement error at the branch’. I queried how they could be sure it was a fault at
the branch and was told that this was the information they had been supplied, presumably by Post.
Office Head Office, and they had no further information. (Incidentally, they added that the same
Lodgement error had meant that all monies paid into that Sub Post office on 11/5 had gone missing
temporarily).
As I am aware of the class action being taken by the SubPostmasters against the Post Office via
Shoosmiths, I felt that this may be useful evidence of blame perhaps being inappropriately laid at the
door of the Subpostmasters, when there is in fact a fault within the Post Office’s own system.
I made the Operative who called me aware of my concerns and requested that the Post Office make this
official and send me the content of the verbal statement in writing, so that I could make it available to
yourselves as part of the evidence being accumulated in the case.
However, I think it is quite probable that as they are now aware of this possibility, that they will not send
such a letter, or will change the wording accordingly. I therefore took steps to digitally record part of the
conversation in which I asked the Operative’s Supervisor (Sarah Quinn) to reiterate what I had previously
been told. I made Ms Quinn aware of the fact that I was recording the conversation and asked her if this
was acceptable before I proceeded. This was acceptable and she restated that the information supplied
to her again saying that the temporary loss of money was a result of a Lodgement error at the branch. I
also have a record of the date and time of the conversation, should the Post Office be prepared to be
open about their internal recordings (which is unlikely).
Please let me know if any of this information is of help to you (I can also notify you, as and when, I do
receive the requested letter from Post Office, confirming the statement in writing).
I hope that this may be of some use to you. However, if not, I wish you the best of luck in getting to the
bottom of this matter.
Best wishes,
Steve
ve Hibberd
S