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Witness Name: Baroness Neville-Rolfe
Statement No.: WITN10200200
Dated: 2 October 2024
POST OFFICE HORIZON IT INQUIRY
SECOND WITNESS STATEMENT OF BARONESS NEVILLE-ROLFE DBE CMG
I, Lucy Neville-Rolfe, will say as follows.
1. This is my second witness statement to the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry. I have
prepared it with the support of the Government Legal Department and counsel.
2. On 23 July 2024, I gave oral evidence to the Inquiry. From page 34 line 14, the
transcript records as follows:
SIR WYN WILLIAMS: Before we leave prosecutions, Mr Beer, can I just -- it's
a very minor point but I wanted to be clear about it. When you were talking
about your time at Tesco, Baroness, you said, "We prosecuted shoplifters". Just
so that I'm clear, do you mean by that that Tesco took out private prosecutions
or do you mean you reported them to the police, who then instigated a
prosecution via the CPS?
A. It's a very good question, Sir Wyn, which I'd like to come back to you on
because I wouldn't want to mislead you. I mean, obviously prosecutions were
taking place.
SIR WYN WILLIAMS: Sure.
1 My first witness statement is dated 26 June 2024 and I am informed has been given the
Inquiry reference WITN10200100.
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A. The individual detail of who exactly did it. There weren't as many
prosecutions as I know many store managers wanted, which perhaps suggests
to me we were using CPS rather than doing it ourselves but perhaps I could
come back to you on that point, if that's permitted?
SIR WYN WILLIAMS: Yes, of course it is. Thank you.
3. I have taken the opportunity to check the position with Kay Majid, Interim General
Counsel at Tesco. She has informed me that in her 15 years at the company in
various legal posts alleged crimes, principally shoplifting and fraud, have always
been referred to the police and the CPS for any criminal prosecutions, and she has
confirmed that Tesco have never made use of the power to bring private
prosecutions during that time. Tesco does pursue civil claims privately, for
example for debt recovery, as is standard practice in the industry.
Statement of truth
I believe the content of this statement to be true.
Dated: 2 October 2024
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