PanamaTimes

Thursday, Mar 28, 2024

Post Office scandal: Ex-manager's 'skin turned grey' from stress

Post Office scandal: Ex-manager's 'skin turned grey' from stress

A former sub-postmistress has told an inquiry she ended up having a "complete breakdown" after faulty accounting software wrongly made it seem like she was stealing.

Wendy Martin, who ran a post office in York, said the faulty Horizon system "devastated" her health and finances.

The IT issues led to accounting errors at hundreds of UK post offices.

Earlier, MPs urged ministers to sort compensation for all sub-postmasters wrongly accused of theft.

Ms Martin, who only ran her branch for 20 months, told a public inquiry on Thursday she resorted to videoing herself cashing up, in order to show that she wasn't fiddling the figures, as the Horizon system suggested.

"My worst discrepancy one day was over £30,000," she said, adding that this was an amount she would effectively owe the Post Office. "It was awful."

'Turn it off and on again'


The former sub-postmistress said how she called the Horizon software helpline daily as her modem continually lost connection. Ms Martin said she was repeatedly told to unplug everything and turn it on again.

She said she then noticed that accounting discrepancies would occur at the same times as the loss of connection.

At the time, she closed her branch and refused to re-open until someone from Post Office headquarters addressed the issues with her computer system. Ms Martin told how she was shouted at on the phone by a senior member of the Post Office and told to re-open, which she refused to do.

Ms Martin's witness statement came on the day a Parliamentary Committee said the government needs to work faster to make sure all sub-postmasters wrongly accused of theft receive adequate compensation.

The Business Committee has been looking at ways to speed up the compensation process, in parallel to the ongoing public inquiry into the scandal.

Unlike many others involved in the scandal she was not prosecuted, neither was her contract terminated, but Ms Martin shut the branch after deciding she was fighting a losing battle.

'A shade of grey'


Describing suffering a breakdown as a result of the problems she was facing at work, Ms Martin said she "just couldn't do it anymore".

"I'd gone to a shade of grey that a human shouldn't be," she added, referring to kidney and liver issues that she suffered during her time at the branch.

She said the rumours of her stealing pushed her to the point of wearing no make-up so that "people could see how ill I looked".

Ms Martin is furious that she has lost so much financially: "I've lost my business… I'm in debt now until I'm in my mid-70s… I've lost the money I invested in my business. I've lost my retirement."

'Heart attack at 33'
Father of five Mohammed Amir told an inquiry he believes his heart attack at age 33 was due to stress


Another sub-postmaster told the inquiry he blames the Post Office for stress which led him to have a heart attack at just 33.

Mohammed Amir, from Bolton, said at the time he was otherwise healthy - a regular gym-goer, sports coach and had quit smoking.

"It's been 14 years since I had that episode - I didn't realise it was because of all this… I do blame Post Office for causing that," he told the inquiry.

Mr Amir estimated the shortfalls across his branches totalled £130,000.

"I couldn't understand why, when we'd left the office in the evening, the accounts would be different the next day. We'd be there until late in the evening, after we'd closed at half past five, trying to work out what has happened.

"I was convinced it was the system but couldn't prove it," he said.

No action was taken against Mr Amir - but he was part of the 555 sub-postmasters who won a settlement in 2019.

72 sub-postmasters and mistresses celebrated the quashing of their convictions last April


Between 2000 and 2014, more than 700 sub-postmasters and mistresses were accused of theft, fraud and false accounting in the most widespread miscarriage of justice in British legal history. A total of 72 have had their names cleared so far.

The inquiry is expected to run for the rest of this year. The software was developed by Japanese company Fujitsu.

The Post Office has previously said it is "sincerely sorry for the impact of the Horizon scandal on the lives of victims and their families and we are in no doubt about the human cost".

"In addressing the past, our first priority is that full, fair and final compensation is provided and we are making good progress," it added.

Newsletter

Related Articles

PanamaTimes
0:00
0:00
Close
Apple warns against drying iPhones with rice
In a recent High Court hearing, the U.S. argued that Julian Assange endangered lives by releasing classified information.
Global Law Enforcement Dismantles Lockbit Ransomware Operation
Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny has died at the Arctic prison colony
The President of Argentina Javier Mile does not fly private, he flies commercial, with the citizens he represents. And they LOVE him for it.
Bitcoin Reaches $50,000 for First Time in Over Two Years
Belo Horizonte: Brazil's Rising Carnival Hotspot for 2024
In El Salvador, the 'Trump of Latin America' stuns the world with a speech slamming woke policing after winning a landslide election
Tucker’s interview with Putin is over 50M views on X within the first 5 hours.
Finnish Airline, Finnair, is voluntarily weighing passengers to better estimate flight cargo weight
President Nayib Bukele has proudly announced El Salvador's remarkable achievement of becoming the safest nation in the Western Hemisphere.
Former Chilean President Sebastian Piñera Dies in Helicopter Crash
This farmer seems to understand science a bit more than the event organizer, Klaus Schwab.
Facebook turns 20: From Mark Zuckerberg's dormitory to a $1trn company
The Coolest Dictator in the World" on the Path to Victory in El Salvador
Macron, France and fake news
Indian-Origin Man 'King' Arrested For Smuggling $16 Million Drugs Into US
Can someone teach Americans that not every person with slanted eyes is Chinese?
Europe's Farmers Feeding the People, Protesting Against Politicians Who Do Nothing for Their Country and Serve Only Themselves at Taxpayers' Expense
Paris Restaurant That Inspired 'Ratatouille' Loses $1.6 Million Worth Of Wine
Brazilian Police Investigate Bolsonaro's Son for Alleged Illegal Spying
Police in Brazil Raid Residence of Bolsonaro Associate Over Allegations of Illegal Spying
Border Dispute Escalates as Texas Governor Vows Increased Razor Wire
OpenAI Enhances ChatGPT-4 Model, Potentially Addressing AI "Laziness" Issue
The NSA finally acknowledges spying on Americans by acquiring sensitive data
Report Reveals Toxic Telegram Group Generating X-Rated AI-Generated Fake Images of Taylor Swift
US Border Patrol States 'No Plans' to Remove Razor Wire Installed in Texas
Bitcoin Experiences Approximately 20% Decline in Value
Klaus Schwab recently appointed himself as the Earth's "trustee of the future."
DeSantis Drops Out, Endorses Trump.
Nikki Haley said former President Trump is "just not at the same level" of mental fitness as he was while president in 2016.
Residents of a southern Mexican town set the government palace on fire in response to the police killing of a young man
Samsung Launches AI-Driven Galaxy S24, Ushering in New Smartphone Era
Judge Questions SEC's Regulatory Overreach in Coinbase Lawsuit
The Ecuador prosecutor who was investigating the television studio attack, has been assassinated.
Is artificial intelligence the solution to cyber security threats?
Vivek Ramaswamy suspends his US election campaign and endorses Trump.
Viral Satire: A Staged Satirical Clip Mistaken as Real Footage from the 2024 World Economic Forum in Davos
The AI Revolution in the Workforce: CEOs at Davos Predict Major Job Cuts in 2024
Ecuador Reports 178 Hostages in Prison Gang Standoff
The Startling Cuban Espionage Case That Has Rattled the US Government
Two Armed Men in Ecuador, Dressed as Batman and The Joker Storm the Streets.
Armed Gang Raids Ecuadorian TV Station Following State of Emergency Declaration
Anti-Democratic Canada: Journalist Arrested for Questioning Canadian Finance Minister on Support of Terrorist Group
Ecuador's 'Most-Wanted' Criminal Vanishes from Prison
Mexican Cartel Supplied Wi-Fi to Locals Under Threat of Fatal Consequences for Non-Compliance
Border Surge Leads to Over 11,000 Migrants Waiting in Northern Mexico
Outsider Candidates Triumph in Latin American Elections
As Argentina Goes to the Polls, Will the Proposal to Replace the Peso with the Dollar Secure Votes?
Fatal Shark Attack Claims Life of Boston Woman Paddleboarding Near Bahamas Resort, According to Police
×