POL00462746
POL00462746
Classification: Confidential
STRICTLY PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL
SUBJECT TO THE TERMS OF CONFIDENTIALITY UNDERTAKING
Burges 2 fieldfisher
Salmon
NOT FOR WIDER CIRCULATION
Solicitor to the Inquiry
Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry
Sth Floor,
Aldwych House,
71-91 Aldwych,
London,
WC2B 4HN
By email: Solicitort
26 March 2025
Dear Solicitor to the Inquiry
POST OFFICE HORIZON INQUIRY: RULE 9 REQUEST (68)
1. We write regarding Rule 9 Request Number 68 ("Rule 9(68)") dated 18 March 2025.
2. The purpose of this letter is to provide Post Office's response to Rule 9(68), noting that the Inquiry
did not request a witness statement. Post Office sets out its approach to Rule 9(68) below:
a) Rule 9(68) requests that Post Office provide a list of the names and dates of passing of Post
Office Subpostmasters who have taken their own lives where Post Office is aware or has
been informed that the family of the deceased has attributed this to Horizon related shortfalls.
b) Post Office is primarily alerted to a Subpostmaster's death by suicide, which has been
attributed to Horizon related shortfalls, via the Horizon Shortfall Scheme ('HSS'), when a
family member of the deceased raises this in connection with a claim for wrongful death. Post
Office collates this information once received in the HSS. The Independent Advisory Panel
(‘IAP') determines whether there is a causative link between Horizon shortfals and the
Subpostmaster's death. For the purposes of this response, Post Office has provided the
names of all deceased Subpostmasters whose family have made a claim for wrongful death
arising from suicide, irrespective of whether the IAP has upheld this aspect of their claim. Not
all of these cases have been finally determined by the IAP.
c) As requested, Post Office has only provided the names and dates of death of
Subpostmasters. As such, the list provided does not include those deceased who, for
example, did not hold a direct contract with Post Office, or were family members of the
Subpostmaster. Post Office is aware of some cases in these categories. Further, as
requested, Post Office has only provided the names of those who died by suicide (as claimed
by their family). The list provided does not include those who, for example, have died following
an illness, or exacerbation of an illness, connected to a Horizon related shortfall, as alleged
by a family member in a wrongful death claim.
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‘regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. It is also regulated by the Law Society of Scotland. Its registered office is at One Glass Whart, Bristol in people Platinum
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Classification: Confidential
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make a claim via the Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme run by Department for Business
and Trade.’
e) In responding to Rule 9(68), Post Office has focussed its efforts on the HSS and the
Overturned Convictions process ('OC') as the most likely repositories of relevant information.
Post Office has undertaken reasonable and proportionate enquiries to confirm if it holds any
other relevant information beyond that held in HSS and OC, but has not, in the time available,
conducted manual checks or forensic searches across the entire business.
3. The deceased Subpostmasters falling with scope of Rule 9(68) are listed below.
Name of deceased Postmaster Date of death by suicide
1. I Martin Griffiths 11 October 2013
2. I[ IRRELEVANT I IRRELEVANT }
3.
4. Unknown?
5. I Michael Mann 22 October 2013
[IRRELEVANT I Unknown
4. Finally, Post Office respectfully requests that the Inquiry notify Post Office if it intends to publish,
or share with Core Participants, the names of the deceased listed above. Family of the deceased
may have provided information to the HSS in confidence and Post Office would wish to consider
further how best to manage these highly sensitive cases in the event that further dissemination is
intended.
5. If the Post Office can assist further, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Yours faithfully
Burges Salmow LLP Fieldfisher LLP
BURGES SALMON LLP and FIELDFISHER LLP
' Post Office notes that DBT may hold information relevant to this Rule 9 via the schemes they administer.
? The family member of the deceased has not yet provided the date of death,