Post Office scandal: outrage as Channel 4 News reveals covert recordings 

People need to go to prison over this, pure and simple.

Paula and the post office management need to be in prison themselves

Paula Vennels was in charge and it was her who dismissed and buried the report about the unreliability of the Horizon system. She deliberately tried to cover up the faulty system and blame the Postmasters. She needs to be put in jail first and foremost.

Corporate crooks do not go to prison in the UK , the establishment protects their own .

Poor man commits no crime goes to jail rich commits crime gets a knighthood.

How has she not had all her assets stripped and been jailed yet!?

Vennells should be charged now. And an awful lot of other Post Office and Fujitsu senior people, the lawyers who killed both parliament and the courts, the investigating officers and all involved in this vile scandal. What is worse though is that such behaviour happens in other former public services and even large private companies. The corruption at the "top" of our society is truly horrendous and scandalous. Those responsible must both go to prison and be stripped of their ill-gotten wealth.

Absolutely disgraceful. To realise that the PO used OUR money to persue cases that they knew were flawed is beyond the pail. All those involved should face criminal charges AND be liable for repayment to the exchequer and the victims of all monies owed. 😡

They spent over £100 million on legal fees. That is astonishing.

Paula Vennells should be in prison, she lied to the public, to the MP's and people were wrongfully conficted for it. nothing short of 15 years would be justice.

There is a well publicised email sent by Vennells asking to know whether there was remote access to Horizon. If she didn't follow this up, then she's at the very least criminally negligent.

When Vennels is finally sent to prison,she should be made to sew mailbags. That would be justice.

Prison for senor ex management is the only way forward.

Those responsible for the cover up should go to prison for the pain and suffering they have caused not to mention the millions of taxpayers money they have wasted

Willingly prosecuted 100s of sub post masters, perjury, lied to government, misled investors on the liabilities and therefore the value of the organisation and shares. These are serious criminals that should receive long sentences. Any talk of self regulation should be viewed with serious scepticism. The taxpayer will also pick up the cost for pension scheme shortfalls. I hope executives are also stripped of their assets.

Utterly disgraceful

I am a former software engineer. The big question which has gone unasked is who manipulated the subpostmasters' accounts in Fujitsu and what did they gain from doing that. Those of us in the know about software systems now see clearly that there was what we call a 'back door' into the software. Why was it there, who used it and for what gain? The money from the subpostmasters' accounts obviously went somewhere and my bet is it was into someone's pocket.

Thank you channel 4. Performing an absolutely vital role in society. Real journalism.

The shear audacity of the Post Office to throw their own staff under the bus is both disgusting and harrowing when you consider how many people took their own lives due to their lies…

Paula Vennels, minister of the church, doesn't look good for the Church of England.

The amount of money spent on lawyers could easily have gone on financial redress for the postmasters and this would be over.

The CEO & Board of Directors Have Been Payed Their Bonuses The Sub Postmasters have NOT Been payed Their Compensation ! EVEN NOW !

The fact that the government has already given preferential consideration to Fujitsu with regards to the digital ID contract tells you all you need to know. Neglect and incompetency runs deep.

Paula Vennells and her cohorts need to go to prison!

Life in jail. She is responsible for every suicide. We must not let her get away with this.

Has anyone been compensated yet? Have any of the executives gone to prison yet?

Really good reporting on this tragic criminal abuse of power.

And let’s not forget Vennals left the PO with a big bung only to take up another cushy job. Not only should she be prosecuted, but efforts should be made to recoup salary and payments. It is inconceivable she did not know about the issues, but even if she didn’t, there was a complete failure of corporate governance and the buck stopped with her.

They spent over £100 Million in lawyers fees but then want to give peanuts to the people the lives they destroyed. Sickening

Why is this woman not in prison or is lying to the government okay?

The public need to see justice in action. Police please explain reason why Paula Vennells has not already been charged with perverting the course of justice?

This women carried out miscarriage of Justice, covered up & lied.....She should be made to pay back every penny, plus compensation. And serve all the time other's did in prison plus some for her lies ! Absolutely appalling

Clearly the corporate structure is still holding firm within Post Office….delay, demand verification, deny, refuse……it’s astonishing that this corporation has not been thoroughly excised, and been shut out of the compensation process to the postmaster claimants. It should be an independent body that is authorised to expedite the claims, compensation and finalisations of the claims…because nobody can trust PO to be fair.

So has Fujitsu been investigated to see if monies were redirected? They should lose all government contracts, while the inquiry needs to give recommendations in the use of remote access and back doors to such software. Further, government needs to investigate whether this is an issue in other systems.

Why has Vennells not been charged with any criminal offences yet ?

A chap in my club worked with the PO 10 years back. He said it was common knowledge Horizon was useless and senior PO management were lying.

In 2017, Paula Vennells was an Anglican minister and reached the shortlist of three for Bishop of London. After relinquishing her clerical duties in 2021, she remains an ordained priest. This is possibly why her word was so readily but mistakenly accepted.

Channel 4 did brilliantly on this

Why is a class action against Fujitsu and Post Office not being proposed?

The idea that Venels didn’t know is ridiculous. CEOs take personal interest in this kind of issue. She would have had it directly from Fujitsu.

Venells will no doubt bleat her ignorance of this recording

Paula Vennels, Adam Crozier, Tim Parker, Ed Davey and many others are keeping a very low profile in recent months. I wonder why?

I guess we all know that ABSOLUTELY no one in the top echelons of the P.O. will ever be prosecuted, let alone recieve a prison sentence, yet there isn't a decent person in the whole country that doesn't think those involved shouldn't be..

Sunak here is a chance for you. Stop Vennells pension payments. Write to her and tell her to pay back all bonuses she should never have received and also tell her she need to pay personally reparations to the post masters and their families

Why do those involved in the Post Office management need to hide behind the enquiry? They know whether or not they sent the innocent to prison. All they have to do is, say, yes we knew we were sending and had sent the innocent to prison. Simple. Honest. But, they have never been honest.

How is it that Vennells avoids a jail sentence after all the lying she has done over many years? Vennells should be brought to court by the government immediately.

Isn’t she a friend of Welby?

People were convicted and their lifes upturned. This is simple if you can convict post master's we can convict those responsible for the coverup. Those people prolonged the suffering trying to save their own skin. This country needs to see some justice.

This really goes to prove how flawed the the current form of Government is along with the Justice system. These victims will never be compensated for their losses or pain and suffering.

Paula Vennells.... lovely bit of jail time. JAIL TIME!

This is a absolute disgrace A mass cover up on record People still need to be brought to justice

Vennels - a good example of a pompous relic

End all food and drink deliveries into the Borough of Westminster. Stop feeding the beast.

How on earth did she go on to become a vicar????

Refreshing to see at last a great piece of investigative journalism for a change. More of it please and more of these protected criminals held to account. One rule for us and another for us.

Every single post I’ve read is demanding her arrest and conviction 👍

738 convictions. It was hardly a blip. Did they really believe 738 sub postmasters were stealing from them. It is a total joke if it weren’t so serious.

They should go to prision not living the high life. Call this justice with our pathetic government dragging their feet

Agree we need to see some Criminal convictions and serious sentences, possibly including some lawyers

The recent Fujitsu UK gov contract for digital ID needs to be reconsidered, in the light of these recordings.

It's not complicated: Huge compensation for those who suffered. Prison for those responsible.

Also, thank you Channel 4 news for yet again showing that someone in the UK is at least still doing proper journalism.

Has Vennells been defrocked for her lies which wrecked the lives of thousands, not just the postmasters but their families.

Utterly disgraceful.

Jail time, for all involved. If they were willing to let people serve time...then the same cruelty applies.

WHERE DID THE MONEY GO?

0:44 that ginger bloke wants jailing

Prison sentence need handing out to these crooks

So should all those who had a higher level job and a direct influence on this scandal should be arrested and charged

The person in charge was an Anglican Priest, who could a someone from the church lied so blatantly.

People's lives were ruined because of what they knew and did. All of those responsible should be prosecuted.

Oh you can bet your last £1 on it that no one from the top will ever go jail and if they do it will be so short that it will be like a holiday

The people involved should be named shamed and locked up.

In any business, the CEO is responsible, she should be in jail

Why, in the reporting of this story, is there no mention of Private Eye's reporting of it? Way ahead of everyone else.

Justice delayed is justice denied!

Some Post office sub masters took their own lives, others went to jail and lost their livelihoods as a result of this mis courage of justice. Paula Vennels was at the heart of it , she was told that Fujitsu’s had manipulated the data to protect themselves, she then protected herself by covering the whole thing up, she should be tried in the high court like any other person and serve the correct amount of time as a murderer.

Seems there needs to be the people that knew about this should be locked up they are criminals

It doesn't matter if Vennals knew or not, she should have, she gets paid for knowing what's going on, she's the skipper and she's responsible.

This is fraud. Simple and clear. This demonstrates they knew, they spoke of it and yet continued with the system and PROSECUTIONS. They must go to court.

Paula you piece of work

How were these recordings obtained? Because whoever had access to them should have come forward sooner. Their silence meant that people suffered for longer than they had to.

Fujitsu needs to be held to account too.

An absolute scandal!!

Some lost everything including their homes, those responsible should be stripped of all their assets as part of the compensation package and prison sentences should follow.

Vennels is supposed to be a person of faith. She's nothing but a liar and a hypocrite. Considering the lives she's ruined ,I don't know how she lives with her conscience.

It tells you all you need to know about many public services, involved in scandals, that management thought they could behave like this under the arrogant assumption that they would never be answerable or accountable for their criminal actions.Why would they have behaved like this otherwise? They had everything to gain in the way of juicy salaries and annual bonuses,but everything to lose from revealing the rotten IT system and questioning the PO contract with Fujitsu. This cover up went on for decades, with no one being able to break the conspiracy of silence and lies, because the post office was a revered,trusted and reputable organisation,being protected by vested interests.A fish rots from the head down.....just like the post office.Fujitsu's management, meanwhile, have just as many questions to answer for their reprehensible behaviour.The public will demand nothing less than prison sentences for all those involved in this conspiracy of silence that destroyed many innocent people's lives.Justice demands it, if there is anything left of the credibility of so called British justice.

The Met have had 4 years and have, in that time, managed to interview only 2 people. That is a classic 'kick the can down the road' tactic, what are they waiting for? Those involved to put themselves beyond the reach of the UK courts? If the Met want to be taken seriously they need to pull their finger out and get those involved charged.

Justice will be seen to be done when all SPM’s have their monies returned plus interest, compensation for unfair contract termination, recompense for loss of pension investment, compensation for unfair convictions and imprisonment PLUS odious people like Vennells, the PO board, investigators, lawyers, civil servants etc. losing their home and pensions and doing jail time. Next week please.

What more evidence do you require, an arrest warrant should be issued to make sure all parties are protected.

Only 2 people questioned? My god it's going to take decades.

This guy has spent the last 10 years, knowing that something that had happened was wrong, but being restricted by non-disclosure agreements. I expect that now he has been able to include it in his evidence, so there is no longer a restriction on him. I get the impression that he is a bit annoyed and will be very happy to dump any of the post office management in it. One thing about Paula Vennels is that even if she didn't know originally, when she found out that there was a problem with the convictions, she had an obligation to reveal what had happened. The post office is going to do what the government wants it to. If they haven't already, they will be getting a completely new management team, who will be told that they are expected to play by the rules. The post office doesn't have the money to pay restitution, so the government will be paying their share.

No one will go to prison. Those responsible will remain free, and people will continue dying and never seeing the proper amount of reimbursement and compensation - note, those two are separate amounts. Government is complicit; politicians like Sunak are rich enough to not care, they don’t suffer, they have nothing to lose. I don’t believe any of that is fair, but I believe that is how it will pan out.

The police say it will take years to get to the bottom of this. That's telling us the detectives involved must be stupid ,if you consider a murderer is jailed swiftly.

Paula Vennells needs to be in prison.

As well as bringing the Post Office bosses to court for lying , the system owners need to answer as to who and why did their employees access the system and alter the figures.?

What surprises me is how long it took. Maybe this is partly because it was the early days of the internet but even so you'd think that after 100 convictions they'd twig that something was wrong

Sounds like jail is needed as those post office execs knowingly defrauded and stole from the innocent postmasters.

Ed Davey should not be allowed to blame the post office for his incompetence

Chris Head was so very young when this all started for him, and I've no doubt whatsoever that he would never have wanted it, but this scandal has made him the impressive man that he is today. He's so knowledgeable and articulate. I wish him many more happy, strong, successful years because he deserves that.