Vennells admits she could have prevented 'lost decade' of injustice

Ex-Post Office boss grilled

- Robert Kellaway

PAULA Vennells has admitted she could have prevented a "lost decade" of injustice against sub-postmasters but failed to do so.

The ex-Post Office boss claimed she could not remember whether her reason for dropping a review of prosecutions in 2013 was to avoid it becoming "front-page news".

However, she admitted it would have been "grossly improper" to have done so for such a reason.

The Horizon IT inquiry was shown an email to Ms Vennells from the Post Office's communications director Mark Davies in July 2013 discussing a potential review of cases going back five to 10 years.

The email said: "If we say publicly that we will look at past cases whether from recent history or going further back, we will open this up very significantly, into front-page news. In media terms it becomes mainstream, very high profile."

Ms Vennells replied: "You are right to call this out. I will take your steer."

Sub-postmasters at the inquiry groaned out loud as Ms Vennells was asked if she took the decision to drop the review on the "advice of the PR guy" and said: "I don't remember".