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Sent:
To:
Ce:
Subject: Re: BBC - One Show [CMCK-UK.F1D8673510]
Attachment: image001 jpg
Can I suggest that we hold off on legal letter till we hear back to my email? Starting to build line of comms
above nick wallis and it could irritate
Sent from my iPhone
On 12 Dec 2014, at 18:40, "Belinda Crowe" wrote:
Thanks Susan. My only comment is that I prefer not to indicate specifically that we are actually
mediating at the beginning of next week. I would not want the applicant concerned to in any way be
exposed or feel exposed should anything we say become public. My concern is even if no-one else
knows who she is, she might pick this up if the one show were to say that there is a case being mediated
on Tuesday. It is a particularly sensitive case.
Best wishes
Belinda
From: BARTY, Susan j.
Sent: Friday, December 12,
To: Rodric Williams; Patrick Bourke; Melanie Corfield; Ruth X Barker; Angela Van-Den-Bogerd; Belinda
Crowe; Mark R Davies
Subject: BBC - One Show [CMCK-UK.FID8673510]
Dear all
I attach a draft letter to the BBC and set it out below, for ease of reference.
Best wishes
Susan
Susan Barty
Partner
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CMS Cameron McKenna LLP I Mitre House, 160 Aldersgate Street I London EC1A 4DD I United Kingdom
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www.cms-cmek.com
www, law-now.com
Dear Sirs
Post Office Limited - The One Show
As you will recall, we act for Post Office Limited.
We understand that our client has been contacted by you in relation to a further piece you
are proposing to broadcast next week, again on the One Show. Our client was first
informed by email shortly before midday that the story was to run "at around the same
time next week". Our client was also asked for a substantive response to the extensive
issues raised by noon on Monday 15 December 2014. From this our client understood the
broadcast was to run not before Tuesday next week. However, our client now understands
that it is likely to be broadcast on Monday.
In any event, the email raises a number of new and serious allegations, and refers to
further contributors including Geoffrey Sturgess and Sandip Patel QC. We consider that
you must have known that you were proposing to run a further story on these issues and,
in the circumstances, should have given our client proper notice before any intended
broadcast. Not only is this the busiest time of the year for our client, but our client is still
in the process of conducting mediations under its Complaint Review and Mediation
Scheme, one of which is being conducted at the beginning of next week. You have asked
for a spokesperson to appear on the programme. The most appropriate spokesperson is
engaged in the mediation process at the start of next week, so would not be able to
contribute before Wednesday next week.
There is no urgency in reporting on this matter such that the broadcast needs to take
place on Monday or, indeed, Tuesday next week. To go ahead with the broadcast without
our client having a proper opportunity to respond, in the light of the serious allegations
raised in the email sent to our client, would run a serious risk of significant inaccuracies
and damaging statements, which would be likely to misrepresent the facts and cause
serious harm to our client.
We would also remind you that any reference to the Horizon system needs to be seen in
the context of the approximately 6 million different transactions conducted through the
system every day and the tens of thousands of people in the different subpostoffices who
carry on their business using the system with no difficulty. As we have made clear, a tiny
percentage of Post Offices have reported problems and there is no evidence of any
negative impact on consumers.
All of our client's rights remain reserved.
Yours faithfully
CMS Cameron McKenna LLP
CMS has 59 offices around the world, located in Aberdeen, Algiers, Amsterdam, Antwerp, Barcelona, Beijing, Belgrade, Berlin,
Bratislava, Bristol, Brussels, Bucharest, Budapest, Casablanca, Cologne, Dubai, Duesseldorf, Edinburgh, Frankfurt, Geneva, Glasgow,
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Paris, Podgorica, Prague, Rio de Janeiro, Rome, Sarajevo, Seville, Shanghai, Sofia, Strasbourg, Stuttgart, Tirana, Utrecht, Vienna,
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