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Barristers cleared of contempt – and after Vennells… who else?
Page and Marshall in the clear Good evening dear friends from my remote Devonian hidey-hole. I went outside for the first time in three days today to explore the nearby lanes and paths. It was the first chance I have had since coming down here on Sunday. I’m meant to be cut off from the…
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More appellants on the way as the Horizon scandal drags Paula Vennells under
Scandal hits home Hello secret email friends I am currently holed up in a cottage in Devon quietly trying to write a book about this scandal, but the media interest in this story is still gratifyingly present and I am have been getting regular calls to come onto various outlets and explain the story. On…
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Historic day at the RCJ – 39 Subpostmaster convictions quashed
Tears, prosecco and joy. At last, one of the biggest scandals in recent memory has been recognised with the quashing of 39 Subpostmaster convictions at the Court of Appeal. To watch the news media hanging off Jo Hamilton’s every word as she gave an impromptu press conference outside the Royal Courts of Justice was something…
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Campaigner to meet PO boss & could the High Court settlement agreement be reopened?
Campaigner bags meeting with PO boss Since the 2019 settlement former Subpostmaster Chris Head has made a determined effort hold the Post Office and the government’s feet to the fire over the Horizon scandal. He took a petition to Downing Street and has been working with his MP Kate Osborne to try to get some…
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Post Office CEO calls on government to compensate Subpostmasters
“I am urging government to work with us” Last week Nick Read, the Post Office Chief Executive, gave a significant speech to his senior management. The contents were partially leaked to Sky News on Sunday, and I have now published the full text of what Mr Read said on Post Office Trial, with a commentary.…
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Mediation, good faith and general weirdness
A moment in time To be perfectly honest I’m sending this email because I am acutely aware a lot of people have kindly donated to the crowdfunding campaign, signed up to this mailing list and might be expecting something in return for their money. I have not emailed during the last week because I am…
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Full and final number of Horizon-related criminal convictions confirmed
It’s almost exactly one a week The Post Office successfully prosecuted 736 people between 2000 and 2013 over shortfalls using Horizon-related evidence, just over one a week for 14 years. A settled figure was requested by Lord Justice Holroyde last week at the Court of Appeal after there was some confusion in court. The numbers…
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That was the week that was
Hello there, secret emailers. You may have seen a meme doing the rounds about the curse of Liverpool FC. It tells of the various random mishaps which may have contributed to the club’s failure to win the Premier League since it started. This season, Liverpool were on course to win the title by a distance.…
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All over bar the quashings
Not with a bang but a wrangle I have decided to send the secret email out tonight before writing a report of today’s Court of Appeal hearing, because whilst the proceedings were exceptionally important for the three appellants concerned, it solely focused on their individual cases. The court was being asked to allow the appeals…
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Day 3: Grounding it out
Boris wants people held to account I haven’t had any real chance to gather my thoughts today, so apologies if this reads like a stream of consciousness. Live-tweeting turns your brain to mush. It’s very hard to then turn that mush into something capable of assembling a decent report on the day’s events. I tried.…