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NEWS
TUESDAY JANUARY 9 2024
Horizon scandal: 19 convictions
in north since IT system installed
C
Sources
JOHN BRESLIN
cases
in
Northern
pros-
Ireland
turning
offences
following
PSNI
and
investigations
decisions
Prosecution
by
Service
the
gath-
Furthermore, Lady Chief Justice
was rst installed across the UK.
Nineteen people were convicted
information
investigators.
Dame
Public
the
much
ered and passed on by Post Ofce
were
when the Horizon computer system
the
of
too
reliance
employees
on
some
was
ce
over the two decades from
by
to
there
LOSE to two dozen Post Of-
ecuted
of
close
suggest
Siobhan
a
Keegan
conviction,
when
said
over-
the
fact
that details about Horizon’s IT issues
were
not
disclosed
left
the
matter
with a “sense of unease”.
(PPS).
She was ruling in the case of Bel-
Two convictions are publicly known
fast man Alan McLaughlin, cleared in
to have been overturned so far.
2022, 17 years after he was convict-
But there were concerns within
the
police
over
the
investigations,
according to the testimony of a wom-
ed of false accounting offences while
in
an questioned over the alleged loss
of more than £60,000.
charge
Brookeld
Post
Ofce
Mr McLaughlin, charged with 15
counts
“(The police ofcer) asked me if
of
branch in Tennent Street.
of
fraud-related
offences
in
2005 with claimed losses of £10,000,
I heard about the Post Ofce scandal
knew
in England and I needed to take it
problem
further,” Sinead Rainey was told after
his
being cleared of any wrongdoing.
He even commissioned a third party
Hundreds
ators
in
were
England
Post
Ofce
of
Post
charged
and
is
Ofce
and
Wales,
the
oper-
convicted
where
the
investigator
and
prosecutor.
from
the
with
solicitor
there
Horizon
Michael
was
a
system,
Madden
said.
accountant’s report in support of his
defence.
Patricia
Fagan,
now
77,
from
Forkhill, Co Armagh, was handed a
nine-month
Labour leader Keir Starmer yes-
start
the
2017
after
suspended
she
was
sentence
convicted
in
over
terday called for the company, whol-
an alleged nancial shortfall of more
ly-owned by the government, to be
than £6,000.
stripped of those powers.
She was cleared in February last
But those powers in the north are
in the hands of the PSNI and the PPS
year
It is not immediately known how
many
were
sub-postmasters
and
offering
no
Former post office workers celebrate outside the Royal Courts of Justice, London, after having their convictions overturned by
the Court of Appeal in 2021
victions overturned, Sinead Rainey,
tress, but ran the Post Ofce on be-
sue people even after it was widely
The Post Ofce continued to pur-
from
half of another person.
known
by
there
were
serious
issues
over the Horizon system.
whether all related to false accounting or fraud.
prosecutors
opposition.
who pursued 23 post ofce employees between 1999 and 2019.
with
In 2019, the same year a group of
39
sub-postmasters
had
their
Co
the
Antrim,
PSNI
over
was
questioned
fraud
allegations
Ms
linked to the supposed loss of more
by
than £60,000.
forced
con-
She was not even a sub-postmis-
Rainey
Post
than
was
Ofce
to
She was later told there was no
questioned
investigators
scrape
£40,000,
from family.
together
borrowed
rst
case
and
cer, adding: “She asked me if I heard
more
mostly
to
answer
with
the
police
of-
about the Post Ofce scandal in England and I needed to take it further.”
Sunak signals support for honours review of Vennells CBE
R
ISHI Sunak would “strongly
ter an ITV drama returned the wide-
public’s feeling of outrage on this is-
on it and we want to make this right,
support” an honours com-
spread miscarriage of justice to the
sue. He would strongly support the
that money has been set aside. We
mittee
spotlight.
forfeiture
will do everything we can to make
to
look
former
Post
A petition addressed to Sir Chris
Ofce boss Paula Vennells’s CBE in
Wormald, chairman of the forfeiture
the
committee, calling for Ms Vennells to
into
wake
if
it
chose
revoking
of
the
Horizon
scandal,
Downing Street said last night.
The
prime
spokesman said
ly
support”
committee
stripping
the
if
the
it
lose the honour has already attract-
if
it
chose
to
review the case.
this
“It is a decision for the committee, rather than the government.”
Justice
Secretary
Alex
right
They
Chalk
is
for
the
people
affected.
It is simply wrong what happened.
shouldn’t
have
been
treated
like this,” he said.
minister’s
ofcial
ed more than one million signatures.
meeting Post Ofce minister Kevin
Keir Starmer has called for pros-
he would
“strong-
Ms Vennells has previously said
Hollinrake yesterday to discuss how
ecution powers to be stripped from
honours
decided
former
forfeiture
to
look
Post
at
Ofce
she
is
“truly
fering”
More
There have long been calls for
sorry”
caused
to
for
the
“suf-
subpostmasters
wrongly convicted of offences.
chief executive of her honour.
branch
than
700
managers
Post
were
to help the convicted branch manag-
the Post Ofce and previous convic-
ers clear their names.
tions looked at again.
Mr
Ofce
convicted
said
The Labour leader said: “I used
calls to strip Ms Vennells of the hon-
to run the Crown Prosecution Ser-
our should be considered.
vice, we’ve prosecuted for other de-
month
while it routinely denied there was a
ware Horizon made it look like mon-
defend
problem with its Horizon IT system,
ey was missing from their shops.
but said he wanted to speed up the
these
compensation process for victims.
convictions,
But demands have intensied af-
Sunak’s
ofcial
spokesman
said: “The prime minister shares the
Sunak
last
after faulty Fujitsu accounting soft-
Mr
Mr
Hollinrake
Ms Vennells, who ran the Post Ofce
to lose her CBE.
Former Post Office chief executive
Paula Vennells
committee
the
yesterday
sought
government’s
to
partments, we can do it here – that
response
should be done straight away. And
“People should know that we are
convictions,
need
the
to
remaining
be
looked
at
en masse.”
Man remanded over seizure of cocaine and cash
A
WEST Belfast man has been
derstood six charges against him, all
on
also
same thing eight or nine times be-
remanded
alleged to have been committed on
car on the A1 near Hillsborough and
seized Herald’s mobile phone, digital
fore after he was approached in the
January 6.
uncovered a vacuum packed “white
scales and deal bags as well as a fur-
street by males claiming to be from
brick” of cocaine hidden inside a bag.
ther, smaller quantity of cocaine in
the
his home.
detective adding that Herald further
charged
into
with
custody
having
co-
caine and allegedly criminal
cash worth around £350,000.
They
include
three
counts
of
having criminal property and three
information,
It
has
they
been
the
heard
police
republican
drugs
of
Arrested and interviewed, Herald
intent to supply. The charges arise
around
said
told police he had no knowledge of
ters said she was concerned about
from a police search of a black Seat
£970 was found on Herald and follow
what was in the bag but that when
the risk of further offences.
Leon on Saturday morning and then
up searches of the car, his bedroom
the car was stopped, he was on his
seized
in follow up searches at the defend-
and his mother’s room, uncovered a
way
savings.
ant’s home.
further 26 bundles of cash, amount-
known person to give them the items.
peared
yesterday
at
Drive
Lisburn
ap-
Mag-
istrates Court where he said he un-
Police told the court that acting
£100,000.
ing to £260,000.
But
value
court
drug offences of having cocaine with
Whitecliff
estimated
that
The
Refusing to grant bail to Caolen
of
an
reported
the
Herald (24), District Judge Rose Wat-
Herald,
have
stopped
police
to
Banbridge
to
meet
an
un-
Herald claimed “he had done the
claimed
these
movement”,
said
transportations
a
“are
never pre-arranged”.
Herald claimed all of the money
He
was
was
either
his
remanded
until February 5.
or
into
relatives’
custody