Judge Rinder says Paula Vennells should be charged over Post Office IT scandal

20 October 2023 , 20:35

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Judge Rob Rinder (Image: PA)

TV’s Judge Rob Rinder has called for Paula Vennells, the boss during the Post Office scandal, to be prosecuted for criminal negligence.

Hundreds of subpostmasters were wrongly convicted of theft in the biggest single miscarriage of justice in British history. Between 1999 and 2015, the Post Office prosecuted 700 of them based on information from a faulty computer system called Horizon. Some went to prison following convictions for false accounting and theft.

Earlier this month, Rinder, a criminal barrister, presented The Daily Mirror Pride of Britain Special Recognition Award to former postmaster Alan Bates. Alan campaigned for almost 20 years to get justice for colleagues whose lives were destroyed by the scandal. Rinder said: “Those who are responsible know who they are. Paula Vennells and others knew that the system clearly wasn’t working. This moves into criminal negligence.”

Paula Vennells (PA Wire/Press Association Images)

Alan revealed he has started looking into taking forward a private criminal prosecution. An independent inquiry is due to finish next year and a new scheme to compensate victims is open. Alan said: “The actual victims would certainly like to see the real guilty brought to account. We are in early discussions on what we can do to have them prosecuted.

“The inquiry is going on, and the truth is coming out. But so far, there have been no consequences for a number of people, including Vennells.” Alan had his contract terminated in 2003 after losses appeared in his accounts, caused by the Horizon system. He and five other claimants later took the Post Office to the High Court, helping win £58million in payouts for 555 falsely convicted.

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Ms Vennells, who received a CBE in 2019, issued an apology for the scandal, saying: “It was and remains a source of great regret to me that these colleagues and their families were affected over so many years.” When more convictions were quashed in April 2021, she apologised again and said she intends to “work with the Government inquiry to ensure that staff and the public get the answers they deserve”.

A representative for Vennells said that she is determined to assist in whatever way she can, so that lessons are learned. Alan is now working on inform­­ing the Government about the impact it had on the victims and their families’ mental health. Four postmasters have taken their lives due to the anguish caused and three others died before any acquittal.

Sanjeeta Bains