May 22nd 2024.
Paula Vennells, the former boss of the Post Office, was surrounded by a swarm of photographers and journalists as she arrived at Aldwych House in central London. This was her first public appearance in ten years, and it was met with a lot of attention. However, her testimony before the Horizon inquiry had to be momentarily paused due to a planned fire alarm, just ten minutes in.
It has been a long wait for the victims of the Post Office scandal, who have been seeking justice for the past ten years. It was during this time that the full extent of the miscarriage of justice was revealed. More than 900 sub-postmasters were prosecuted between 1999 and 2015, all due to a faulty accounting software that caused discrepancies in their branch's money. Ms Vennells began her three-day testimony with apologies to the affected staff, their families, and individuals like the campaigner Alan Bates.
The reason for the sudden influx of attention towards the inquiry, which began in January 2020, can be attributed to the success of the ITV drama, "Mr Bates vs the Post Office." The final episode aired earlier this year, and within a week, Ms Vennells, who was portrayed by Lia Williams, announced that she would be returning her CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) that she was awarded in 2019. This was followed by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's announcement of new legislation that would exonerate the wrongly convicted sub-postmasters involved in the Horizon scandal. The law, which will only apply to England and Wales, is expected to come into effect at the end of July. Emergency legislation is also being introduced by the Scottish Government.
Despite the progress, hundreds of victims are still waiting to receive compensation, even after the announcement of £600,000 payouts in September last year. Tragically, some have passed away while waiting for justice. In the hearing room at Aldwych House, which was filled to capacity with around 180 postmasters, one of them, Lee Castleton, shared his thoughts on BBC Radio 4's Today programme. He stated that he was not seeking an apology from Ms Vennells as it would not make a difference to him personally. Instead, he was looking forward to the truth being revealed.
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