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From:
Sent:
To:
Ce:
Bec:
Subject: RE: SubPostmasters class action against the Post Office - possible evidence regarding Horizon
errors etc.
SENT ON BEHALF OF GEORGE THOMSON
Dear Steve
Thank you for your recent email regarding the Horizon computer system.
Over 70 million transactions are carried out each and every week at Post Offices all over the UK
and I can assure you that we have only a handful of people who claim that the system is
systemically faulty. If the Horizon system was systemically faulty we would have tens of
thousands of complaints each and every year. The NFSP continues to believe that the Horizon
Computer system is accurate, robust and fit for purpose and we believe that the external review of
Horizon will come to the same conclusion.
Yours sincerely
George Thomson
Amanda Cox
NFSP, Evelyn House
22 Windlesham Gardens
Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex
web: www.nfsp.org.uk
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From: Steve Hibberd [mailt
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.
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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 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