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Original poster

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

OP posts:
Thread gallery
10
Peregrina · 24/05/2024 10:43

"You really had earned your keep. You kept the lid on it."

Quirkyme · 24/05/2024 10:43

When will her waterworks come in for Mr Henry?

Quirkyme · 24/05/2024 10:42

He's starting to ramp up for these last 20 mins

Sceptic1234 · 24/05/2024 10:41

"It does not matter is something is true or false, all that matters is whether or not it is deniable".

Or words to that effect....attributable to one of Nixon's White House staff.

DanielGault · 24/05/2024 10:39

nauticant · 24/05/2024 10:36

She did well in the past to make sure she never received any of the key documents. There would have been a culture in Post Office, like in many places, that you don't land top management with long and difficult documents. Instead they get summaries, ideally in written form and written clearly. It looks like, for whatever reason, Vennells was receiving the vital summaries from those beneath her verbally.

That puts me in mind of a piece from the west wing along the lines of 'is there anything I should know Vs is there anything I need to know '

Sceptic1234 · 24/05/2024 10:39

meimei80 · 24/05/2024 10:35

Funnily enough for all his grilling she is having a much easier ride with him - she knows how to handle him and gain a 'moral high ground', as incredible as that sounds.

I think this is a deliberate strategy. They know she's coming in with prepared answers, so let her speak and trot them all out. Eventually she will be left with nothing to say.

If you look back at 2 days with beer, she spoke a lot more confidently on day 1. By the end of day 2 she was very different.

Gerrysmum · 24/05/2024 10:39

Susan outside on the naughty step 🤣

Original poster
nauticant · 24/05/2024 10:36

She did well in the past to make sure she never received any of the key documents. There would have been a culture in Post Office, like in many places, that you don't land top management with long and difficult documents. Instead they get summaries, ideally in written form and written clearly. It looks like, for whatever reason, Vennells was receiving the vital summaries from those beneath her verbally.

OP posts:
Sceptic1234 · 24/05/2024 10:35

DanielGault · 24/05/2024 10:32

Thanks!

Show quote history

This important as the barrister Simon Clark wrote to PO telling them of problems with Jenkins. Vennels and all of the Lawyers denied seeing it.

It was delivered to Jarnail Singh's email account, downloaded to his hard disk and printed out 8 mins later. He still denied reading it....

Quirkyme · 24/05/2024 10:35

She should have said "my approach to my work is that I feign memory impairment"

meimei80 · 24/05/2024 10:35

Funnily enough for all his grilling she is having a much easier ride with him - she knows how to handle him and gain a 'moral high ground', as incredible as that sounds.

DanielGault · 24/05/2024 10:35

murasaki · 24/05/2024 10:32

Ha. It's the job of a CEO to read briefings and take them on board.

So she didn't do her job, or is lying. Again.

I'd hazard a guess it was a bit of both

DanielGault · 24/05/2024 10:32

nauticant · 24/05/2024 10:32

In brief he gave evidence under oath in court that the Horizon system was free of bugs when he knew it wasn't.

Show quote history

Thanks!

murasaki · 24/05/2024 10:32

Ha. It's the job of a CEO to read briefings and take them on board.

So she didn't do her job, or is lying. Again.

Original poster
nauticant · 24/05/2024 10:32

DanielGault · 24/05/2024 10:31

Why was he discredited?

Show quote history

In brief he gave evidence under oath in court that the Horizon system was free of bugs when he knew it wasn't.

OP posts:
DanielGault · 24/05/2024 10:32

nauticant · 24/05/2024 10:31

The Inquiry has published some very deep documents about Gareth Jenkins:
https://www.postofficehorizoninquiry.org.uk/matter-undertaking-attorney-general-gareth-jenkins
https://www.postofficehorizoninquiry.org.uk/matter-undertaking-attorney-general-gareth-jenkins-ruling-2

Will look at that later, thanks!

OP posts:
DanielGault · 24/05/2024 10:31

Sceptic1234 · 24/05/2024 10:29

Yes ... discredited witness. Gave verbal evidence at Misra trial.

Show quote history

Why was he discredited?

Sceptic1234 · 24/05/2024 10:29

littlbrowndog · 24/05/2024 10:28

Gareth Jenkins. Fujitsu isn’t he ?

Yes ... discredited witness. Gave verbal evidence at Misra trial.

Quirkyme · 24/05/2024 10:29

"Presumably it's after you received your text or email from your husband" 🤣🤣

He's going to refer to this the same way Beer did with Susan and the chair yesterday

Original poster
nauticant · 24/05/2024 10:28

Keep doing it and you seem like a dullard. Although I suppose that could be what she's going for.

If that was how she ended up being painted I'd imagine she could live with that very well.

OP posts:
littlbrowndog · 24/05/2024 10:28

Gareth Jenkins. Fujitsu isn’t he ?

ArlaDae · 24/05/2024 10:28

I wish all of the documents are shown on screen as with yesterday. Makes it much harder for PV to stall and act confused.

DanielGault · 24/05/2024 10:27

nauticant · 24/05/2024 10:25

One thing she picked up well from her training is to listen carefully to the question posed and if it isn't clear, which is where traps can lie, then to ask for it to be repeated or reframed.

It's a bit of a double edged sword though isn't it? Keep doing it and you seem like a dullard. Although I suppose that could be what she's going for.

murasaki · 24/05/2024 10:26

He's making statements rather than asking questions, which allows her to squirm off the hook.

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