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POLTD-0405/0172
OFFENCE - Theft and False Accounting
Name: David Charles BLAKEY
Rank: Subpostoffice Assistant Identification
Code:
Office: Riby Square SPSO FAD Code
Age: Date of Birth:
Service: Date Service
Commenced:
Personnel Printout: At Appendix: Not P.O.Ltd
employee
Nat Ins No:
Home Address: _ _ - I
Suspended/Contract for 13th May 2004
Services Suspended:
Prosecution Authority: Royal Mail Group Legal Services
Discipline Manager: Tony Utting
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Name: Gillian BLAKEY
Rank: Subpostmaster Identification
Code:
Office: Riby Square SPSO FAD Code 202/311
Age: Date of Birth:
Service: Date Service
Commenced:
Personnel Printout: At Appendix: C
Nat Ins No:
Home Address:
Suspended/Contract for 13'* May 2004
Services Suspended:
Prosecution Authority: Royal Mail Group Legal Services
Discipline Manager: Tony Utting
25th May 2004
Jayne Kaye,
The circumstances leading to the naming of the offender/ suspect offender detailed in the
preceding pre ambles are briefly as follows.
On 13'* May 2004 members of the audit team attended Riby Square SPSO Grimsby FAD
Code: 202/311. The audit team gained entry to the office at approximately 0820 hours. At
this time Gillian Blakey, the Subpostmaster and person named in the second preamble to
this report, was asked to produce all cash stock and vouchers proper to the audit.
As the audit team were awaiting the opening of the office safe, David Blakey, Gillian
Blakey’s husband, and offender named in the first preamble to this report attended the
office and spoke to all three members of the audit team. At this time he informed them
that there would be a shortage of cash in the Post Office of some £60,000. He said that this
was due to cash going missing from the office over the last few months.
Glen Morris then asked Mr Blakey to write and sign a brief statement outlining what he
had just told them, The members of the audit team then contacted their management,
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relayed the information of the morning to that point and continued with the audit.
The same morning I received a telephone apprising me of the situation and, along with
Helen Dickinson of this Department, I attended the office.
On arrival I spoke to Glen Morris and asked if the situation had altered in any way, he told
me that it hadn’t but they were close to reaching a final audit figure for the office, which
indeed showed a shortage in the cash on hand figure in the region of £64,000. At this time
Mr Morris handed to me the statement written that morning by David Blakey.
After I had examined previous weeks cash accounts and contacted the Recall department
in order to establish the targeted overnight cash holdings from the office, I invited David
Blakey to interview.
As such, along with Helen Dickinson of this department, I interviewed David Blakey, the
same day, in an office at Riby Square Subpostoffice, under the terms of the Police and
Criminal Evidence Act 1984 Codes of Practice.
David Blakey stated that he works as an engineer for a local firm. He has worked there
since around the time he took redundancy from Kimberly Clark, where, on leaving, he
received a £30,000 severance package. Each day, after he has finished work, he attends
Riby Square Subpostoffice, and completes most of the end of day cut off procedures for the
office. He inputs all of the daily figures for the office on to the Horizon system, and each
Wednesday completes the office balance and subsequently produces and signs the weekly
cash account.
He stated that this has been the situation at the office for the last seven years or so, His
wife, or indeed any other member of staff, does not perform any of the accounting
procedures at the office, other than the occasional reconciliation of products such as car
taxes or fishing licences.
Mr Blakey confirmed events of the morning and stated that he received his regular
morning telephone call from his wife to say that she had arrived at the Subpostoffice
without incident, however she had told him during the telephone call that the auditors
were in attendance. Mr Blakey says that he immediately left work and attended the
Subpostoffice to his wife’s surprise. Mr Blakey then told his wife of the impending
shortage in the cash, before approaching the audit team and informing them of the same.
Mr Blakey admitted submitting false accounts, stating that he has done so since week 2
(09/04/03), of the financial year 2003/2004. He further admitted that each submitted
account from then until the previous days account (Week 7, 12/5/04), has been false. Mr
Blakey submitted these false accounts as he states that he had been aware that money had
been going missing from the office for some time and he was not able to replace it.
Mr Blakey however, denied stealing any cash, saying that he just covered up the
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he did not inform Post Office Ltd of the losses being suffered at the office nor did he
investigate the losses with other members the office staff.
Mr Blakey stated that he was making in roads with his bank to obtain a loan to pay this
money back, however, so far, no loan application had been lodged with the bank, and the
bank had released no cash to Mr Blakey.
Mr Blakey stated himself that his story in relation to the thefts is hard to believe, but he
maintains that it is the truth.
Mr Blakey stated that the only members of staff present throughout the extent of the losses
,-Wwere.himself, his wife, assistants Debbie Oxted and Samantha Callaghan, and } GRO i
i jassistant Pat Bown. Lm -
At the end of the interview I informed Mr Blakey that he may have rendered himself liable
to prosecution, and that, in order to progress the case and identify a perpetrator for the
theft of the cash, it was my intention to interview his wife, and if thought necessary, other
members of staff.
Tinvited Gillian Blakey to interview and, as such, along with Helen Dickinson of this
department I spoke to her immediately after interviewing her husband. The interview was
conducted under the terms of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 Codes of
Practice.
Mrs Blakey confirmed that she is the Subpostmaster at Riby Square. She stated that her
husband David performs all of the accounting aspects for the office, both daily and
weekly, indeed she claimed that she would have difficulty in producing a weekly cash
account has she has only done it once, that being during her training period on the
Horizon System. She confirmed the story of that morning in relation to the auditors
attending and Mr Blakey’s arrival at the office. She claimed that the day she was
interviewed was the first that she knew of any shortages at the office and felt that, prior to
the confession of her husband, the office was being run well.
Gillian Blakey denied the theft of cash and found it hard to believe that her husband could
have stolen the money as she feels that she would have noticed a £60,000 increase in his
and their lifestyle. Mrs Blakey stated that the staff always leave their handbags in the back
of the Subpostoffice and that nothing leads her to believe that anyone else at the office
could have stolen the money.
In relation to their home life, Mrs Blakey confirmed that her husband was made
redundant from Kimberley Clark and received a £30,000 payment. She stated that h
dles all of their home finances, and she doesn’t see the bills as they come i
er mother in law who also sometimes works behind the private business side of the
“Sho p-
At the end of the interview I informed Mrs Blakey that she may have rendered herself
liable to prosecution.
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After the interviews I apprised you of the situation and you suspended the contract of Ms
Blakey and arranged transfer of the office to an interim Subpostmaster. As you know, at
this time I told you that because of information given to me in the course of the inquiry, I
had to request that two members of staff, Debbie Oxten and Samantha Callaghan, not be
allowed behind the Subpostoffice counter until I had spoken to them.
At this time the audit had been completed and Glen Morris calculated the final declared
shortage for the office to be £64,435.24.
On Tuesday 18" May 2004, along with Helen Dickinson, I spoke to both Debbie Oxten and
Samantha Callaghan, separately at each of their homes.
Both ladies spoke confidently and were shocked to discover the amount of cash missing
from the office, both denied theft, and were at a loss to explain the reason for the shortage.
Both ladies confirmed that David Blakey came in to the office each afternoon and entered
all of the daily cash figures onto Horizon. He also balanced the Subpostoffice account each
week.
Ms Oxten said that she ran the office whilst Mr and Mrs Blakey
but she did not complete a cash account as it had been arranged for the office to
thority to submit a two-week cash account, which Mr Blakey completed on his
return.
After I had seen the ladies I contacted you and informed you that, at this stage I was
prepared to give them the benefit of any doubt which existed in relation to their honesty
and integrity, and as such, I had no objections to their working at the office under the
interim Subpostmaster.
Again with Helen Dickinson of this Department, on Monday 24" May 2004 I travelled to
Grimsby and interviewed Shirley Blakey, David Blakey’s mother, and sometime assistant
in the private side of the shop, and also Pat Bown, former Subpostoffice assistant.
Shirley Blakey is ars old and helps to run the private side of the Blakeys business,
which consists of confectionery and cigarette sales. The private side of the office also is
where customers access the Subpostoffices National Lottery products. As the bulk stock of
cigarettes and National Lottery scratch cards are kept in the safe, Shirley Blakey would
have had access to the area behind the Subpostoffice counter. She understood my reasons
for speaking to her but denied theft. She accepts that her son has covered up the shortage
in the account but finds it hard to believe that anyone could have stolen the money.
Pat Bown, isicro! years old and, excluding a six-month period, has worked at Riby Square
Subpostoffice for some years, indeed working for the previous Subpostmaster before the _.
took over the Subpostoffice 8 years ago.! I
Mrs Bown confirmed that David Blakey attends the office each day and completes both the
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daily and weekly Post office accounting. She stated that she remembers that she thought it
unusual that Mr Blakey required that at the end of each day the daily cash be entered on to
a sheet of paper. He then entered these figures on to the Horizon System personally.
Mrs Bown considered Mr Blakey to be the boss, although she knew Mrs Blakey was
actually the Subpostmaster, however Mrs Bown states that both of the Blakey’s would
speak to staff if they felt an error had been made.
Mrs Bown says that she was shocked to hear of the amount of money involved in the case
and denied its theft.
To further the case I am in the process of making inquiries with the Royal Bank of
Scotland, to establish the Blakeys financial position, and if David Blakey had approached
them for a loan. Also I have completed data protection dispensation forms and sent them
to Kimberly - Clark, Mr Blakeys former employers in order to establish if he did indeed
received a £30,000 redundancy payment as stated, or if his leaving of the company was for
other reasons.
The loss to the Post Office in this case stands at £64, 435.24.
Paul Whitaker
Investigation Manager
Post Office Ltd
Fitzalan Square
Sheffield
S11AB
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