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WITNESS: HUGHIE NOEL THOMAS
STATEMENT NUMBER: WITNO162_02
EXHIBITS: WITN0162_02/1,
WITN0162_02/2, WITNO162_02/3
DATED: Feb 10, 2022
POST OFFICE HORIZON IT INQUIRY
SECOND WRITTEN STATEMENT OF MR HUGHIE NOEL THOMAS
THIS STATEMENT IS PROVIDED IN RESPONSE TO THE RULE 9 REQUEST
OF THE PUBLIC INQUIRY DATED 28/01/2022
I, MR HUGHIE NOEL THOMAS, DATE OF Birth I__
ll say as follows:-
1. I am providing this statement further to my original statement dated 12
January 2022 and further to the second Rule 9 statement request of the Post
Office Horizon IT Inquiry on 28 January 2022.
2. I have been asked to provide information in respect of the following:
i. My contact with Roch Garrard in 2008;
ii. My involvement in the Computer Weekly and BBC Wales
reporting in 2009; and
iii. My first contact and meeting with Josephine Hamilton.
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MY CONTACT WITH ROCH GARRARD IN 2008
3.
Roch Garrard first made contact with me over the phone in May 2008. He
explained to me that he was previously the Head Probation Officer in North
Hampshire, having only recently retired at the time. Mr Garrard advised me
that his local sub- postmistress, Mrs Josephine Hamilton, had recently been
convicted of an offence in relation to missing monies at her Post Office. She
had apparently been experiencing the same issues with the Horizon IT
system as I had been at my Post Office.
I am unsure how Mr Garrard first became aware of me and my experiences
with the Post Office and assume this must have been through the internet.
Mr Garrard wrote to me after our telephone conversation. Please see the letter
dated27 May 2008, exhibited ‘WITN0162_02/1’. Mr Garrard expressed that
he was part of a group of villagers who were trying to gather information
about similar cases to mine and Mrs Hamilton’s. He explained that something
didn’t seem to be right with the Horizon ITsystem. Mr Garrard and I spoke
over the phone shortly after this correspondence to discuss the issues I had
suffered with the Horizon IT system and it quickly became apparent that both
Jo and I had both experienced similar problems.
Also attached to Mr Garrard’s correspondence was a Daily Mail article about
Mrs Hamilton’s court case and how her community rallied behind her. Please
see exhibit ‘WITN0162_02/2’.
I received further correspondence from Mr Garrard dated 12 August 2008,
which I believe was following a further conversation with him. A copy of the
same is exhibited as ‘WITN0162_02/3’.
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MY INVOLVEMENT IN THE COMPUTER WEEKLY AND BBC WALES
REPORTING IN 2009
8.
I first became aware of Computer Weekly after a friend, Sion Tecwyn, found
out about them through his employment with the BBC. I have known Sion
since I was elected councillor in 1986. Sion interviewed me on behalf of the
BBC on the day I was elected and we have remained good friends since. As
soon as he heard that Computer Weekly was looking into issues with the
Horizon IT system, he thought of me straight away. Sion put me in touch with
Computer Weekly and they arranged to interview me over the phone. I recall
being interviewed in 2008 by Ms Rebecca Thomson, who asked me about
the Horizon IT system and the technical issues I experienced with it. The
conversation focused on missing monies and how I could not understand
where they could have gone. Also interviewed for the purpose of this article
were Mr Lee Castleton, Mrs Josephine Hamilton, and Mr Michael Rudkin.
MY FIRST CONTACT AND MEETING WITH JOSEPHINE HAMILTON
9.
10.
11.
I first met Mrs Josephine Hamilton in a café in South Warnborough in 2009.
This was for a television program about sub-postmasters who had
experienced missingmonies at their branches and had been taken to court.
I recall my daughter, Sian and I travelled to Basingstoke on the train, and we
were collected by Mr Garrard who drove us to the café in South Warnborough
where the program was being filmed.
Mrs Hamilton told me about what had happened to her with the money
disappearing, as it had in my shop. We also discussed trying to get help on
the helpline but not getting anywhere with them and that their advice would be
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to get on with it. We both recalled getting the knock on the door from the
auditors and how awful it made us both feel. This was all recorded for the
purpose of the program, which was called ‘Taro Naw Programme’.
Statement Of Truth
I believe that the facts stated in this witness statement are true.
Position Or
Office Held:
Print Full
Name: HUGHIE NOEL THOMAS Date of signature: Feb 10, 2022
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