Ex-Post Office boss regrets ‘subbies with hands in the till’ line, inquiry hears
you go on to say my instincts tell that
in a recession subes with their hand in
the till choose to blame the technology
when they are found to be short of
cash why was your n your instinct to
think that sub postmasters who alleged
that Horizon caused shortfalls were
stealing from the post office well
that’s an expression I regret for the
rest of my life so you know it was it
was an inappropriate thing to put in an
email um not not in line with my view of
sub postmasters
um in perhaps an unguarded comment
you’ve put that the instincts were for
it to effectively be the suppost Masters
were stealing and then blaming the
technology does that represent your
actual views at the time no but it it
was it was said it it was it was why did
you say it if it wasn’t your view
well uh I had uh a friendly informal
relationship with Mary Fagan and it was
just an email I shouldn’t have it’s just
an email I shouldn’t have written but uh
it was important to me that she
understood exactly where we act but she
was a Royal Male person um and um it was
one of the one of the areas where I was
very very happy with the support I got
from Royal Ma so she was she was uh very
helpful to me she was a sounding board
um and I was probably more open and
Frank with what I was thinking with her
than than many other people she was also
in a different building which which
meant that we swapped emails a lot and
so uh as I say I that sentiment was
expressed what I wrote in that email was
unacceptable
The former Post Office boss Alan Cook has said he regrets saying in an email in 2009 that he thought post office operators ‘with their hands in the till’ and were trying to blame the Horizon system for anomalies. He told the inquiry into the Horizon scandal: ‘It’s an expression I will regret for the rest of my life. It was an inappropriate thing to put in an email and not in line with my view of subpostmasters.’
Subscribe to Guardian News on YouTube ► http://bit.ly/guardianwiressub
The Guardian publishes independent journalism, made possible by supporters. Contribute to The Guardian today ► https://bit.ly/3uhA7zg
Sign up to the Guardian’s free new daily newsletter, First Edition ► http://theguardian.com/first-edition
Website ► https://www.theguardian.com
Facebook ►https://www.facebook.com/theguardian
Twitter ► https://twitter.com/guardian
Instagram ► https://instagram.com/guardian
The Guardian on YouTube:
The Guardian ► https://bit.ly/guardiannewssubs
Guardian Australia ► https://bit.ly/guardianaussubs
Guardian Football ► https://bit.ly/gdnfootballsubs
Guardian Sport ► https://bit.ly/gdnsportsubs
Guardian Live ► https://bit.ly/guardianlivesubs
#PostOffice #Horizon #UK #News
29 comments
So he says, "this email didn't reflect my view at the time" while also saying "well, I was very comfortable with this person, so I was more comfortable speaking my mind." He said what he meant, and is now trying to insist (incoherently) that he didn't have that view. Just facially corrupt.
Another lier
Oh, he regrets. Ok, that's fine. I assume that decades of discrimination and various suicides are now forgiven and forgotten.
rich and powerfull the new untouchables ,no one will face prosicution its the british way imagin if this happened in france they would be baying for there blood and what happens here nothing
I bet he regrets more the fact that he has been found out and made to face what he said and did.
They haven’t got enough money to reimburse those sub postmasters
So what he wrote wasn't his views? So why did he write it?
…..and now he admits that he wasn’t aware of his his own powers …..ie the PO didn’t have the poets to prosecute . Amazing !
He's got his hand our pockets,a robber in a suit perhaps? How many millions?
How would anyone employ this guy? Managing director – more like massaging director!? Dread to think what his salary and pension was/is!
one candidate for life inside
Answer the question! You said it, did you mean it? Obviously he did but, now wishes to wriggle out of responsibility.
Over 500 cases, and he assumes they ALL have their hand in the till, not that the till was broken. What a cupid stunt.
I think he’s just committed perjury
He just contradicted himself and it's clear what he meant in his email.
Strange how there always is suspicions about "little people" being on the thieve, and when the situation unfolds in the UK, its generally the "little people" who are the victims, and those in positions of power who are on the take and corrupt.
But he's smiling as he says this. It's all so vile and we haven't even heard from Vennells yet.
People better be held accountable for this travesty.
Regrets it when caught, not otherwise.
What a load of tosh, that guy meant it exactly as he wrote it. Typical entitled "i know it all" executive who never stopped to think properly or research the reason for financial shortfalls. Not so cocky now is he, disgrace to decent management.
The smirk on his face shows that he didn't care back then and doesn't now. Shameful, he (along with others) should be put behind the bars
Biden used some of his election donations for his legal fees.”
If his pension was re-allocated to those sub postmasters who had lost everything then his apology would be more realistic.
You’d think there’d be some logic in there somewhere, him being so senior and responsible and well-paid and so on, but I’ve looked very hard and I can’t see it. He’s all over the place. Just appalling. I’m so glad he’s finally been publicly called out on this.
What a piece of work
Keep in mind, he said he regretted writing it, not the fact that he actually meant it.
I seriously think they need to bring in the UK RICO Act on each and everyone involved in this scandal.
Face
These are the things they said caught on email. Imagine what else they were saying unrecorded!