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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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Thread gallery
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SinnerBoy · 03/06/2024 11:23

Well, that's petty, isn't it? I wonder if they can sue for breach of contract and lost earnings?

SinnerBoy · 03/06/2024 11:23

Well, that's petty, isn't it? I wonder if they can sue for breach of contract and lost earnings?

thetemptationofchocolate · 03/06/2024 11:38

minou123 Jo Hamilton sitting in court makes me think of avenging angels. If she were to sit there with a pair of feathery wings and a flaming sword it would match her implacable expression.

DanielGault · 03/06/2024 12:05

Cancelled.

PerkingFaintly · 03/06/2024 12:05

Bah, cancelled due to inquiry's counsel being ill, and not easily replaceable at short notice.

nauticant · 03/06/2024 12:33

The apology:

Whichever counsel it was it looks like they dropped the ball by not giving an earlier indication that they might not be fit to cross-examine.

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nauticant · 04/06/2024 09:57

Today it's Chris Day, former Chief Financial Officer of Post Office.

Chris Day joined the Post Office in August 2011 from the BBC, where he had been Group Financial Controller since 2005. Prior to that, Chris spent 14 years in FMCG with Grand Metropolitan/Diageo in a succession of treasury and corporate finance roles in the UK, and as Finance Director in the Netherlands and subsequently in Germany/Austria. Earlier in his career, Chris worked as a financial management consultant at KPMG, having started his career with Beecham Group.

It's unlikely he was involved in prosecutions, and it's not clear how much he was involved in the cover up, but he was around when it was all going on, and it'll be interesting to see him being asked about where the subpostmasters money went.

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PerkingFaintly · 04/06/2024 11:27
Brew
Quirkyme · 04/06/2024 12:29

I don't like the counsel today tbh

nauticant · 04/06/2024 12:35

https://www.5essex.co.uk/profile/catriona-hodge/

Same chambers as Jason Beer KC. Emma Price is from there too, and if I'm right she was supposed to do the cross-examination yesterday but was taken ill.

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Quirkyme · 04/06/2024 12:36

Yeah I'm finding her dry

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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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.

Quirkyme · 04/06/2024 15:24

Oh yes. Sexy Maloney voice

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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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.

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

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/

nauticant · 05/06/2024 09:42

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

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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

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?

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 09:59

Yeah it's an utter joke . Really inappropriate.

Lunde · 05/06/2024 10:04

Now a fire alarm test .....

You couldn't make this up

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.