by Former Post Office chief executive Paula Vennells has been called on by a campaigner and former sub-master to tell the truth at the IT Horizon inquiry as she “backs herself into a corner with no way out”.
Jo Hamilton was falsely accused of stealing £36,000 from the Post Office branch she ran in South Warnborough, Hampshire.
She pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of false accounting to avoid prison and was prosecuted in 2006.
Ahead of Ms Vennells’ evidence to the coroner on Wednesday, Ms Hamilton said if she were in the position of former Post Office boss, she would “put my hands up” and say “I’m sorry and this is what happened”.
She told the PA news agency: “We just want the truth.
“You’d think some of her humanity would come out and she should have done the right thing.
“I don’t know – is she weak? Is she really weak? Was she too promoted?
“I’m all weird. I am very interested to know what she is going to come out with.
“I’m not expecting anything, so anything she gives us will be a bonus – but I’d love for her to tell the truth.”
During the testimony of the Post Office’s current chief financial officer Alisdair Cameron on Friday, the inquiry heard that Ms Vennells did not believe there was a miscarriage of justice and “couldn’t be there emotionally”.
Speaking on the evidence, Ms Hamilton said: “She knew.
“The tone of his email – I’m sure of it. So she knew they were in trouble.
“Obviously I don’t know all the revelations like the lawyers but I know there are things that show she knew, and she followed through on it.
“I don’t know if she hoped that they would end up with a lot of money and spend more money on us – I think that was the plan.”
The inquiry has yet to hear much from Ms Vennells, but a document submitted by her lawyers ahead of the preliminary hearing in 2021 said she was “deeply disturbed” by the verdicts in the cases against leading campaigner Alan Bates and Ms Hamilton involving Horizon . found to be defective.
Ms Hamilton told PA: “I think she’s probably very upset, because you couldn’t be human and you weren’t, could you?
“And a vicar – what is she doing?
“Even if she was a normal person… what kind of person on earth is that?”
Asked what she wanted to hear from Ms Vennells’ evidence on Wednesday, Ms Hamilton said: “Interestingly, she resigned in 2018, which was just as the trials were starting.
“So she must have known, by doing that, what was going to come out – or why wouldn’t she wait?
“She must have known she was done.
She continued: “It’s not even about remote access, it’s about not listening to people and dismissing people.
“It’s just, why didn’t she do the right thing?
“It was her gift to sort it out at the mediation – which was staring her right in the face – and what she should have done then was say ‘you know what, we were really bad, let’s sort this out’.
“But she fell twice.”
She continued: “Ultimately, if there are criminal charges for perverting the course of justice, she might come clean now, because as I’ve been told, if you plead early, you get a lesser sentence – except it wasn’t. done nothing.
“If I were her, I wouldn’t be in that position in the first place, but if I were her I would put my hands up now and say, ‘you know what, we’re all in it? , I’m really sorry and this is what happened’ and then take it on the chin.
“You can fight all you want, the documents are there – but in the end she’s backing herself into a corner with no way out.”
Solicitor Neil Hudgell, whose firm represents Ms Hamilton and 74 other sub-masters, said: “Our clients have waited a long time to hear Ms Vennells’ evidence, and it goes without saying that it is important the coming week is big.
“It is not for me to speculate on the evidence that Ms Vennells may give to the Inquiry, but as the operational head of the organization it is up to her to take ownership and accountability for what happened during her term of office.
“The victims of this scandal are re-traumatized every time they hear denial, falsehood or subterfuge and cannot begin to move forward without answers, accountability and truly expressed grief and sorrow.
“We sincerely hope that Ms Vennells will make good on her promise to bring much-needed clarity and understanding to these proceedings.”
The Post Office came under fire after the ITV drama Mr Bates Vs The Post Office, which highlighted the Horizon IT scandal.
More than 700 sub-masters were prosecuted and given criminal convictions by the Post Office between 1999 and 2015 when a faulty Fujitsu Horizon system revealed their branches appeared to be missing money.
Hundreds of sub-masters are still waiting for full compensation despite the Government announcing that those made redundant are entitled to £600,000.
