Post Office scandal's real Angela van den Bogerd who judge said 'misled' court
Mr Bates vs The Post Office has had viewers across the country screaming at their TV screens.
The four-part series, which debuted on New Year's Day, brings the controversial Post Office scandal back in the spotlight. Based on real-life events that occurred from 1999-2015, the ITV show shows how hundreds of innocent sub-postmaster and postmistresses in the UK were prosecuted for false accounting and theft.
Many employees lost their jobs while others were sent to prison in what has been described as 'the greatest miscarriage of justice in British legal history' . Four people even took their own lives after cash started mysteriously vanishing from Post Office tills across the nation. However, the chaos was actually caused by a faulty computer system named Horizon.
Angela van den Bogerd is a name you probably wouldn't have heard of until watching the drama. Portrayed by Coronation Street star Katherine Kelly, Van der Borgen graduated from the University of Glamorgan with a Masters of Business Administration in 20021.
She maintained various roles at Post Office Limited during a 33-year career at the organisation. Starting off as a Network Change Operations Manager, Van den Bogerd suddenly jumped through several new titles: Head of Network Services, Head of Partnerships, Director of Support Services, and People & Change Director.
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The businesswoman worked at Post Office Limited for 33 years (media wales)Her last appointment in 2018 was to Business Improvement Director. According to reports Angela had been handling complaints about the computer system since 2010 and had 'sat on a working group to deal with scandal since 2014'.
When the truth behind the chaos broke out and reached the High Courts in 2019, Judge Peter Fraser slammed the worker, saying there were two specific matters where she 'did not give me frank evidence, and sought to obfuscate matters, and mislead me'. Van den Bogerd quietly stepped down from her role the following year and was later appointed Head of People at the Football Association of Wales (FAW).
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However, the scandal's legacy hadn't been forgotten about, and calls for Van den Bogerd to leave the FAW started to build. Welsh MP and member of the Senedd Jack Sargeant urged the association to think carefully about appointing her.
"The judge’s comments and the considerations of the victims of the scandal across Wales and the UK should be at the forefront of your mind,” he told FAW CEO Jonathan Ford in a letter. Just months after her appointment, Van den Bogerd left the position in March 2021.
According to Van den Bogerd's LinkedIn profile, she has not been appointed in any other roles after leaving the FAW. She describes herself as an 'accomplished' HR senior leader.
Mr Bates Vs The Post Office is available to stream on ITVX now
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