IN THE WINCHESTER CROWN COURT
CASE NO: T2007 0043
BETWEEN:-
REGINA
ove
JOSEPHINE HAMILTON
CASE OPENING
“This notes provided as cn enti othe Crovm’s cas fort asistance ofthe Cort andthe Defencs. It is wt ad does nat
‘purport to be a comprebensive analysis of the evident, Te Cranm may reby om matters not mentioned in ibis semmnary,
Parties
Indictment
Summary
1, This case involves the theft of over £36,000 from the Post Office by the defendant,
Josephine Hamilton, At the time of the offending she was the sub post mistress and had
responsibility for the effective running of the post office at South ‘Warnborough. Like many
such premises, the post office is situated within a shop.
Bac und
2. Mrs Hamilton, now 50 years old, had been the sub-post mistress there since 21° October
2003. This is a paid position, She is permitted to exiploy her own staff to assist in the
—~yanning of the Post Office, and in this case she employed someone called Mrs June
Partridge.
3. ‘The defendant had been trained in the use of the Post Office computer system, known as
Horizon’, and in the running of the Post Office generally. The Horizon system records the
details of all transactions made at the premises. Every Wednesday the office must prepare
1
beailton case opening
POL00048841
POL00048841
weekly accounts, known as the cash account. ‘The accounting week runs from Thursday
motning to Wednesday evening. On 5" October 2005 the system of accounting changed to
one involving Branch Trading Periods, and thereafter monthly Trading Statements were
produced.
4, This sub-post office, as with all such post offices, catties out a number of functions. As well
as selling items like stamps, and distributing forms for eg passport applications, post offices
act as agents for the Department of Work and Pensions in providing benefits to members of
the public. These take many forms: retirement benefit, incapacity benefit, disability benefit
etc. These transactions are recorded on ‘Horizon’. This system is connected nationwide.
Facts of this case
5. On Monday 6" March 2006 Rebecca Portch, who works within the Retail Cash Management
xn
>\
Team for the Post Office, contacted the premises and spoke to someone, believed to be the
defendant. Mrs Pottch explained that the reason for her call was the very high level of cash
reported as being kept on the premises, Although cash on hand is needed at any Post Office,
high levels of cash represent a secutity tisk. Mrs Portch requested that the defendant zeturn
{ss Portch requested ©
at least £25,000 to the Post Office by 8" March. The defendant soon after contacted her
aleastzores
union representative and indicated that there were problems at the post office.
‘The next day, on 7* Masch, the defendant ‘went sick’ and was signed off by her doctor for
four weeks, Because of the concems about the information provided, and the failure to
retuen the cash as requested, Graham Brander [post office investigator], Elaine Ridge [Area
Intervention Manager] and Alan Stuart [auditor] attended at the South Warnborough Post
Office on 9® March 2006, After a check of all the documents and accounts, it was found that
the post office was short by £36, 644.89. Later that mozning investigators attended the
defendant’s home address and invited her to attend an interview.
_ Subsequent analysis of the documentation revealed that the cash on hand figure recorded on
the weeldy cash accounting documents had steadily incteased ftom about £15,000 at the end
of 2004 through to over £35,000 by February 2006. The prosecution indicates that this
SENT the defendant's efforts to hide the fact that she was in fact taking money from the
post office during this time, and by recording the high cash figure was trying to covet up the
2
‘amie. cast-opening
POL00048841
POL00048841
POL00048841
POL00048841
fact that she had taken it. This would never have come to light until or unless a physical
check ox audit had been carried out or the money had been replaced. Had the defendant had
genuine concerns ot problems regarding the post office or any aspect of it there is in place a
Helpline and other internal avenues that can be pursued to assist with such difficulties.
8. After liaising with the defendant’s solicitor in order to secure a convenient time to conduct
an interview, the defendant was interviewed b by Post Office investigators about these matters
on 5" May 2006. The defendant was provided with documentation outlining the allegations
being made against her. She in turn provi tement indicating, in short, that
she did not consider that she had received adequate training and that the post office systems
were inadequate. ini len any money of acted dishonestly.
Having read out the prepared statement the defendant was asked a number of particular
questions, to which she responded by saying ‘no comment’.
9. After interview the defendant was asked about her financial situation. She indicated that she
owns a property worth about £420,000 on which they have a mortgage of £230,000. Both ;
her sons have left home. She said that she and ber husband pay £600/month towards the j
cost of her mortgage and post office remuneration is in the region of £500/month.
I
10. Mrs Partridge, who was employed by the defendant and worked within the shop and post I
office from January 2005, says that the defendant always did the cash accounting, During her
time there, Mrs Pattridge says that only she and the defendant worked there. Mrs Patridge I
denies that she had taken any of the missing money. She also says that she did not have ‘
access to the safe where the cash would be held.
Lr
&
Conclusion
11. The truth is that the defendant had beea inflating the cash on hand figure at the post office
covet a period of several months priot to the audit on 9" March 2006. She had done this in
order to disguise her thefts of cash. She was the only one with responsibility for cash
accounting at the premises. She prepared all of the formal documentation. She was the only
one with access to the safe where cash was kept. There is no doubt the money has been
taken and that the Post Office have therefore lost over £36,000. Thete is no explanation as
to why she falsified the accounts to represent that the cash was in fact held at the post office.
3
samilton case opening
POL00048841
POL00048841
There is no report by her of any problems with procedure. Records held by Network
Business Support Centre [NBSC], the helpline (currently in Unused, Item 6) show a number
of calls between 1 December 2003 ~ 3“ February 2004 referring to losses, including specific
amounts of £2,082, £2,000, £4,183.53 and £3,191. There is no other person who could have
taken the cash without her knowing it had gone missing.
Burden/standatd of proof
Richard Jon
> 9-12 Bell Yarc
London WC2A 2jt
25" June 2007 I
anion case apening