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Paula Vennels being questioned at the Post Office Inquiry, followed by others - thread 2

961 replies

nauticant · 24/05/2024 09:29

A continuation of the discussion started by@Sausagenbaconhere:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/5080262-to-enjoy-hearing-paula-vennels-being-taken-apart

Paula Vennells' 3 days of evidence ends today but there are more hearings coming up and we can discuss those too.

When the hearings are going on, live-streaming can be found here:

https://www.youtube.com/@postofficehorizonitinquiry947/featured

All of the previous hearings can be found here:

https://www.youtube.com/@postofficehorizonitinquiry947/videos

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10
Quebeccles · 05/06/2024 10:27

Hang on….she'd never heard about Horizon or any problems with it? A former very senior civil servant, married to Jack Straw, surely impeccably well-connected in political/establishment circles? Recruited to head the PO Board and she'd never heard about it, in 2011?

Quirkyme · 05/06/2024 10:26

"I'm a human being and I didn't see it"

Well that's a new one.

nauticant · 05/06/2024 10:21

Effectively: My standards are of the very highest and it naturally follows that what I would have done would have been the right thing. And if it wasn't it can't have been my fault.

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Lunde · 05/06/2024 10:20

Good grief ... the external auditors tell her that Horizon is a risk because it doesn't capture data properly - and Chair Alice doesn't see it as a problem for the SPMS

🙄

nauticant · 05/06/2024 10:18

She buried this critical information right at the very start and is now denying she didn't do anything with it.

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Quirkyme · 05/06/2024 10:16

@minou123

Yeah that makes total sense. No sincere apology has been given, it seems like something they've all said for appearances.

nauticant · 05/06/2024 10:15

She was in post a week or so and Angus Grant of Ernst & Young, the external auditors, warned her about Horizon in terms of compromised quality and assurance and unreliability for audit. She's claiming she didn't see this as being of any significance, and is rewriting history as she's giving evidence.

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prettybird · 05/06/2024 10:15

ShockConfusedAngry - in that order. But mostly Angry

PerkingFaintly · 05/06/2024 10:13

Auditors: Your computer system that you depend for everything is fucked.
Perkins: I didn't make a connection to it being important for the business.

PerkingFaintly · 05/06/2024 10:11

This notebook! Perkins' notes on the meeting with the independent auditor, right at the beginning of her time at PO.Shock

nauticant · 05/06/2024 10:10

They always have a fire alarm test on a Wednesday morning Lunde.

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minou123 · 05/06/2024 10:08

Quirkyme · 05/06/2024 09:52

I genuinely wonder if there's any point in apologising tbh. Like what's happened cannot change or be made better in the slightest for the subpostmasters, so honestly I think they should just keep the apologies to themselves and simply answer Qs.

I dunno, what do you all think?

I see both sides.

On one hand, you're right, there is no point apologising because it will not make up for anything.

But an apology, provided it is a sincere one, can help.
I've not heard an apology yet from anyone that was, in my view, sincere. They have been "I'm sorry, but, i didnt know - i was only a small part - i was only followimg orders - excuses excuses excuses"

If it was me, I'd like to think I'd say something like
"I'm sorry. I have caused you untold pain and hurt.
I am going to be truthful and answer all questions to the best of my ability. Some of what you will hear will be very painful and I take full responsibility for my words and actions"
And then actually do it - even if it is embarrassing and I now regret the things I wrote/said in emails and meetings.

For example when PV got caught with that email about being bored watching the One Show and Jo Hamilton was not passionate.
She did say sorry, but then started with the excuses:
"I was under pressure/stressed"
"It was a mistake, I'm not like that"
"I didn't mean it"

She should have just stopped at the apology and there explained there was no excuse for her words and behaviour.

Lunde · 05/06/2024 10:04

Now a fire alarm test .....

You couldn't make this up

Quirkyme · 05/06/2024 09:59

Yeah it's an utter joke . Really inappropriate.

nauticant · 05/06/2024 09:58

I'm not convinced that supercilious and patronising is the best way to present oneself while giving evidence of this kind.

With a side order of sadly shaking the head while saying "there wasn't really anything else I could reasonably have been expected to have done".

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Quirkyme · 05/06/2024 09:52

I genuinely wonder if there's any point in apologising tbh. Like what's happened cannot change or be made better in the slightest for the subpostmasters, so honestly I think they should just keep the apologies to themselves and simply answer Qs.

I dunno, what do you all think?

Quirkyme · 05/06/2024 09:49

nauticant · 05/06/2024 09:42

Looks like it'll be Jason Beer KC for you today Quirkyme.

Ye yeeeee!

Maybe a little cameo from Moloney maybe? Haha

nauticant · 05/06/2024 09:42

Looks like it'll be Jason Beer KC for you today Quirkyme.

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RawBloomers · 05/06/2024 09:06

MountCaramel · 05/06/2024 08:03

Looks like he has taken down the LinkedIn page

It’s still there when I look.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-young-1159651/

MountCaramel · 05/06/2024 08:03

RawBloomers · 01/06/2024 01:46

You can see exactly what he’s been doing because he’s documented it all on LinkedIn!

I don’t know what the enquiry have been playing at if they thought he couldn’t be found. Does make you wonder, despite the current testimonies, how good a job they are capable of.

Looks like he has taken down the LinkedIn page

minou123 · 05/06/2024 07:59

Alice Perkins is giving her evidence today and tomorrow.
She was the chairwoman of the board.

I'm sure she'll follow the lead of everyone else, and have selective amnesia. But, like PV, we've seen a lot of her emails, so we'll see what "excuses" she'll come up with.

nauticant · 04/06/2024 15:52

The theme here is a CFO lacking oversight when there were a number of worrying comments in documents he should have read. Failures to see the significance of warnings and so not engaging with them.

He's a second division witness to provide additional material about Post Office having a culture of significant incuriosity and not rocking the boat.

He can go into the category of "somewhat useless" rather than "criminal".

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Quirkyme · 04/06/2024 15:24

Oh yes. Sexy Maloney voice

Peregrina · 04/06/2024 13:41

Yet another one dissembling and can't remember, and didn't question.
You would think that Chief Financial Officer would wonder about all these payments being made by SPMs.

nauticant · 04/06/2024 13:17

I've been racking my brains over where I've seen Chris Day before.

Then it came to me. He's the butler in Downton Abbey.

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