Paula Vennells was done the other week, the Post Office Inquiry is now questioning associates and others - thread 3

[nauticant]

A continuation of this thread:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/5081592-paula-vennels-being-questioned-at-the-post-office-inquiry-followed-by-others-thread-2

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

I finally caught up. What is the penalty for Ward interfering with witness statements - which he did, despite saying he didn't mean to.

Mark Baker, branch secretary of the postmasters branch of the CWU, was certainly aware of what was happening.

Perverting the course of justice - up to 7 years. I think this is a category 1A offence, in which case the starting point is 4 years.

I wonder if that's why Kearns was so insistent that it was the job of the lower hierarchy to escalate up through the layers, and that didn't happen, so the national exec didn't know until 'it became public'.

Is he excusing his own lack of curiosity, or the whole national exec's, perhaps.

This counsel now drawing him out on why the SPMs were treated so differently.

Miss Watt for NFSPMs. CWU would have had many thousands of members using Horizon? But you say you knew nothing, and that that was normal.

'It was not raised with us at national level'.

'We don't offer legal services for criminal prosecutions'.

Miss Watts wants to know how Mr Kearns couldn't have known [about emerging story]. TK defers to process.

But it was in the public domain in the early 2000s? counsel counters.

TK defers to process again.

Miss Watts - were you incurious?

TK - I don't think that's fair. (Defers to process)

Sir Wyn intervenes in the treacle.

Sorry I missed the rest of it as was interrupted by RL.

p.s. I think was Mr Henry questioning Tony Kearns before about whether CWU did (and indeed could) represent SPMs adequately.

Yet more evidence showing that the subpostmasters had few allies to complement their many enemies. It is a wonder that they won at all. And that was a near-run thing what with the three Lords working in the shadows to destroy their civil case.

I get the impression Sir Alan Bates was good at spotting the time sinks and avoiding those who would reel him and the subpostmasters in and just waste their time and resources.

Mr Stevens questioning Kay Linnell, forensic accountant who worked for free for SPMs. Jo Hamilton was KL and her business partner Barbara Jeremiah's local SPM and they always believed in her innocence.

Fabulous statement here.

There's more than a hint of Alan Bennett in the voice of the lawyer asking the questions, isn't there?

'Sir Alan' - love it.

First became involved with him from 2012, though was aware of it all earlier. (More so than the national executive of the CWU, apparently ...)

They first actually met in person waiting outside James Arbuthnot's office.

(Thank goodness for Arbuthnot.)

Yes, it's very soothing, disguising sharp barbs and the humming of tragedies.

Well she's certainly making up for that with her use of language 😂

It's frightening how justice arose out of serendipity, chance meetings and a random MP's curiosity; rather than the beloved processes of the unions, POL, and the legal system.

In case anyone's wondering about Inquiry counsel and others involved, there's useful information here:

https://www.postofficehorizoninquiry.org.uk/inquiry-team

https://www.postofficehorizoninquiry.org.uk/key-documents/named-core-participants-and-their-recognised-legal-representatives

I just started watching Kay Linnell's evidence. My, she comes across strongly and seems to be pretty impressive.

Kay L is very clear on difference between 'systems error' or 'systemic errors'

Oh, my live feed has stopped, saying it had been 'suspended'.

Is that happening for anyone else?

She has a very steely gaze. Wouldn't like to be in an argument with her.

Yes, it's happened for me too.

It's just come up as 'broadcast suspended ' - anyone else get this?

Broadcast suspended?

I wonder what that's about??

They are back but what have we missed?