UKGI00009731 -Letter from Alan Bates, JFSA to Rt Hon Theresa May MP re: Letter to Kelly Tolhurst MP re common issues trial judgment

Evidence on official site

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Justice For Subpostmasters Alliance

The Rt. Hon. Theresa May, MP 30¢ April 2019
Prime Minister

10 Downing Street

London

SW1A 2AA

Reference: Letter to Kelly Tolhurst MP, Minister for Postal Affairs Regarding the Judgment of the

‘ id i urt between Alan her: ffice Limited

Dear Prime Minister

Iam writing to you with regard to the enclosed copy of a letter that I have sent to Kelly Tolhurst
MP, the current Minister for Postal Affairs, as I have real concerns that the department is being
misguided over the legal position on this matter which it reflects in that department's letter to
Members of the House of Commons dated 18 March 2019 (enclosed).

I ask you to make a request of that department to seek the independent legal and IT expert advice
that I suggest in my letter to the Minister, which may lead to negating the need for continuing our
legal action against Post Office Limited. The content of that letter and its accompanying binder, a
copy of which I have also included for you, clearly demonstrates that a matter Post Office Limited
has been trying to dismiss and keep hidden for many years, is now, albeit slowly, heading towards
a conclusion which, with the attitude of the present Board of Post Office Limited, will leave the
Post Office network in tatters.

Over the years we have received significant cross-party support, which of recent has been on hold
because of the legal action. However, we are now beginning to emerge from the other side of this
action and the evidence that has been exposed in court about Post Office Limited and its Horizon
system, has been utterly damning, resulting in Parliamentary Questions already starting to be
asked.

I do appreciate that your time is valuable and the enclosed Judgments are lengthy, but I do hope
that you at least manage to read my letter to the Minister and can see why the current path we
have been forced to follow could eventually destroy a major British institution.
Sincerely

“Alan Bates
Chairman
Justice For Subpostmasters Alliance

Encl.:
- Letter to Kelly Tolhurst MP 30 April 2019
- BEIS letter 18 March 2019
- Judgment (No.3) “Common Issues”
- Judgment (No.4) “Recusal Application”
Alan Bates

alan.bate¢

jfsaorguk

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Case No: HQ16X01238
Neutral Citation Number: [2019] EWHC 606 (QB)

THE POST OFFICE GROUP LITIGATION

IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE
QUEENS BENCH DIVISION

Rolls Building
Fetter Lane

London, EC4A INL

Date: 15 March 2019

Before :

THE HONOURABLE MR JUSTICE FRASER

Between

Alan Bates and Others Claimant
-and -

Post Office Limited Defendant

Patrick Green QC, Kathleen Donnelly, Henry Warwick, Ognjen Miletic and Reanne
Mackenzie (instructed by Freeths LLP) for the Claimants
David Cavender QC, Owain Draper and Gideon Cohen (instructed by Womble Bond
Dickinson LLP) for the Defendant

Hearing dates: 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 15, 19, 20, 21, 22 and 26 November 2018
3, 4, 5 and 6 December 2018
Draft distributed to parties on 8 March 2019

Mr Justice Fraser:

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Introduction

This judgment is in the following parts:
Introduction

The Common Issues

The Lead Claimants

The Post Office Witnesses

The Factual Matrix

The Relationship between the Post Office and
the National Federation of Sub Postmasters (“NFSP”)

Contractual Formation

The Contract Terms

Express and Implied terms
Relational Contracts

Supply of Goods and Services Act
Agency, Accounting and Horizon
Suspension and Termination
Assistants

Onerous or Unusual Terms
Unfair Contract Terms
Conclusions and Summary

Answers to the Common Issues

Appendix 1: Extracts of the relevant SPMC terms

Appendix 2: Extracts of the relevant NTC terms

Appendix 3: Agreed Flow chart for Transaction Corrections
Appendix 4: Agreed Flow chart for Branch Trading Statement

Appendix 5:

Paragraph no.
1
44
46
365
568

574
599
607
690
702
769
782
865
938
957
1063
111
1122

Appendix 2 of document dated 7 September 2012 entitled Branch
Audit Trend Analysis YTD Q1 2012/2013 {G/7/6}

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