Horizon trial day 16: a day of surprises

Evenin’ all

I’m not making a very good fist of getting these out in good time am I? The trouble is, after 5 hours of live tweeting my brain is mush, especially when the subject matter is as technical as it was today.

Tweeting is usually a valid exercise – and when there’s lots of drama in court I come out fizzing about the story I want to write, but I think this week we’ve hit this litigation’s journalistic equivalent of the doldrums. The first trial was real people with real and very dramatic stories about real, relatable events.

The first part of the Horizon trial was real people talking about a computer system, but now we’ve got pointy-headed experts talking in very esoteric terms about a computer system and whilst on one level it is fascinating (and I urge you to read today’s transcript if you have a head for systems architecture), but pulling something out of it to make a story is hard work.

This trial, though, is grimly necessary. Many many claimants think Horizon is the source of their woes, so I guess it’s important to test Horizon in open court as far as the legal system can allow.

Anyway, here is today’s report: “That surprises me.”

I have collated the live tweets (which, I think, start and end well)

And I have posted up the transcript.

Thanks to secret emailer Emma who approached me after today’s proceedings to introduce herself. Emma had come to London on her own and this was her first visit to court for this litigation. She told me she was Julian Wilson’s daughter.

Julian was one of the founding lights of the JFSA and is sadly no longer with us. I wrote this when I found out he had died.

Thanks for bothering to say hello, Emma, and thanks for being a secret emailer. Your dad was a good man.

Okay that’s it, I’m off to bed. Things start slightly earlier tomorrow.

Parting thoughts – keep the people you love close and never invest too much emotional capital in the England mens football team.

Bye!

Nick