Parliament ponders private prosecutions
Hello
Sorry – I know I’ve been quiet over the past few days. I’ve spent the entire week calling (nearly) everyone who has contacted me about non-Post Office scandals since the R4 series and the Panorama went out. There are lots. How to turn them into Panoramas, podcasts, news reports, supplement pieces, Tonights or Dispatches is another matter entirely. Plenty of leads though, so that’s good.
Remember the none-too-subtle hint I dropped in my last newsletter? Well – today the Ministry of Justice Select Committee responded to the Criminal Cases Review Commission’s request, by deciding to hold a short inquiry into the guidelines around private prosecutions.
This request came as a direct result of the CCRC’s findings in relation to the Post Office’s 900 prosecutions of its own staff between 1999 and 2020.
I sincerely hope both Susan Crichton, the Post Office’s General Counsel up to August 2013 (when she disappeared from the job in mysterious circumstances) and Jarnail Singh (the Post Office Prosecution Department’s Senior Lawyer) from 1995 to 2015 are called to give oral evidence. Those of you who watched the recent Panorama will know Mr Singh in particular has questions to answer.
Computer Daily
Whilst I have been AWOL, my professional brother-in-arms, Karl Flinders from Computer Weekly, has been busy keeping you informed about each twist and turn of the Post Office scandal.
This week Karl has written about the CQC’s concerns over Paula Vennells and Second Sight teaming up with Hudgells solicitors to support Subpostmasters.
Crowdjustice
The JFSA have extended their crowdfunding deadline beyond the end of June as part of their attempt to raise £98,000 to ask the parliamentary ombudsman to investigate the government’s involvement in the Post Office Scandal. There are now 20 days to go, and the campaign, at the time of writing, has raised £54,465.
Media news
If you “enjoyed” listening to the Great Post Office Trial on BBC Radio 4 a couple of weeks back, you might like to hear me talking about it on Radio 4’s Feedback programme, which goes out this Friday at 4.30pm. It’s less about the story itself than how I got involved and why we made it the way we did. I am grateful to the Feedback presenter, legendary journalist Roger Bolton, for taking an interest.
Going to bed now
It’s my plan to get up early and start putting some stuff on the postofficetrial.com website, which I have neglected a bit recently. Then I’ll send you another secret email to tell you what’s on it.
À bientôt…
Nick