Post Office lawyers feared a public relations disaster if the Crown Office halted prosecutions, the public inquiry into the Horizon scandal has heard. In a witness statement, Kenneth Donnelly, deputy crown agent for specialist casework said that the Crown Office was approached in 2013 after provisio
Horizon Scandal
Dear Editor, In the lord advocate’s statement to the Scottish Parliament on 16 January, she said that cases of those subpostmasters convicted of fraud would be referred to the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission and that all cases would be considered on their merits.
The Post Office "failed in its duty of revelation" to the Crown Office, Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain KC told Holyrood yesterday as she apologised to victims of the Horizon scandal. Ms Bain, who blamed the Post Office for failures that led to victims being prosecuted, appeared before MSPs to answer que
If he might crave the reader’s indulgence, this idle scrivener would very much like to share his fun idea for an exciting new parlour game or, equally, a pub quiz for the judicially aware at any learned hangout where good claret can be had. A subtle combination of Where’s Wally and Clued
The understandable furore over the malicious dishonesty of those involved in the prosecution, better word persecution, of innocent sub-postmasters by the once trusted Post Office seems to me merely one example of a wider malaise in our present society. Like many bad-tempered old court lawyers, I hav
It is “incumbent” on Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain KC to answer questions on the Post Office Horizon scandal, the SNP's Westminster leader has said. Stephen Flynn said that Ms Bain should explain why prosecutions occurred after concerns over the Horizon system emerged in 2013.
The role of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) in the Horizon scandal must be investigated, writes a concerned solicitor. The recent ITV drama on the Horizon scandal has shocked the nation. This has been an issue that has troubled me since listening to Nick Wallis’ excellen
A date has been set for the appeal of three subpostmasters over the Horizon scandal. Rab Thomson, Ravinder Naga and Aleid Kloosterhuis are hoping to have their convictions quashed after they were prosecuted for fraud.
Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain KC could be called to Holyrood to explain the Crown Office's actions during the Post Office Horizon scandal. Prosecutors were told of issues in 2013 – yet they continued to pursue cases until 2015.
The Crown Office was aware of problems with the Post Office's Horizon IT system more than a decade ago, BBC Scotland reports. A freedom of information request found that the Crown Office was told of possible problems in May 2013.
Stuart Munro, who acted for Susan Sinclair, the first subpostmaster in Scotland whose conviction was overturned on appeal, writes on the scandal that has caught the public's attention. The broadcast of a major new drama on ITV, Mr Bates vs the Post Office, has brought the Post Office Horizon scandal
First Minister Humza Yousaf has endorsed calls for the mass exoneration of victims of the Horizon scandal. More than 700 sub-postmasters in the UK were falsely prosecuted between 1999 and 2015 based on information from the Post Office's faulty computer system, Horizon. A glitch meant that thousands
A public inquiry into the Horizon IT scandal has amassed enough evidence for police to open a criminal investigation into senior staff at the Post Office, lawyers for the wrongfully convicted postmasters have said. More than 700 sub-postmasters in the UK were falsely prosecuted between 2000 and 2014
An expert report by a KC on 22 cases prosecuted by the Post Office has been published. Duncan Atkinson KC’s report, Volumes 2 and 2A, have been released by the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry. They contain a detailed analysis of 22 cases investigated and prosecuted by the Post Office between 20
Post Office investigation and prosecution policy documents were not sufficient to ensure compliance with key legislation, a criminal prosecutions expert has told the Horizon inquiry. The first part of an expert report by Duncan Atkinson KC, who was instructed by Sir Wyn Williams to independent analy