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Post Office Investigator Lisa Allen REJECTS Inadequate Investigation Claim which is put to her by Suzanne Palmer's legal team as she takes questions from Core Participants at the Post Office Inquiry. Lisa Allen admits that all reasonable lines of enquiry were not followed however this was much easier to see in hindsight. She does accept that whilst the Horizon issues reported by Suzanne Palmer did not make their way into her investigation report, she says that these were included in the appendix with the transcript of the taped interview with her. #PostOfficeInquiry #PostOfficeScandal #PostOffice #PostOfficeInvestigator #LisaAllen #CoreParticipants

Post Office Barrister Richard Morgan KC Outlines His Involvement in Post Office Cases as he begins his testimony to the Post Office Inquiry. He makes corrections to his witness statement, largely based on new documentation that has been provided to him subsequently by the Post Office Inquiry. He outlines, from the records of his Chambers, his involvement in cases but believes that the only case he was involved in that led to substantial action was the case of Lee Castleton. He outlines his area of expertise in commercial litigation. #PostOfficeInquiry #PostOfficeScandal #PostOffice #PostOfficeLegal #PostOfficeBarrister #RichardMorganKC

Post Office FEARED a 'Flood of Cases' from subpostmasters amid Horizon Concerns as they sought the advice of Richard Morgan KC who is questioned about the initial meeting between himself, colleagues and Post Office lawyers and General Counsel Susan Crichton at the Post Office Inquiry. Richard Morgan KC says that he has limited recollection of the meeting although discusses details of the attendance note from the meeting outlining the fears that Post Office had amid the a group litigation being launched by subpostmasters as well as a legal firm preparing dozens of claims against the Post Office in 2012. #PostOfficeInquiry #PostOfficeScandal #PostOffice #PostOfficeLegal #PostOfficeBarrister #RichardMorganKC

Post Office Barrister Richard Morgan KC explains the attendance note to the Post Office Inquiry where it is stated that the Post Office are 'DAMNED if they do and DAMNED if they don't as he outlines the no-win scenario that they have painted themselves into by bringing action against subpostmasters on shaky legal ground. When discussing the prospect of an independent report in the face of a 'flood of cases' being brought by pursued subpostmasters the attendance note explains that if the expert found no issues with Horizon they would be accused of a "whitewash" and if they did find issues that the 'floodgate of legal cases' would open up. He tells the Post Office Inquiry that it is fair to advise the Post Office to not commission the report as, essentially, no good can come from it for the Post Office. #PostOfficeInquiry #PostOfficeScandal #PostOffice #PostOfficeLegal #PostOfficeBarrister #RichardMorganKC

Former Post Office Chair says that the Government was GOING NOWHERE with compensation for subpostmasters from the beginning and only started to take action following the airing on ITV of Mr Bates vs The Post Office in January 2024. He says that notes produced by government have been done so in response to the questions from the Department for Trade and Business Select Committee and, unlike his file notes, were not contemporaneous records of what was discussed at the time. He says that whilst he is not at the Select Committee to deliver judgements, misremembering and lying has been a feature of the Post Office Scandal. #PostOfficeScandal #SelectCommittee #PostOfficeSelectCommittee #HenryStaunton #PostOfficeChair #KemiBadenoch #SarahMunby

Was the Former Post Office Chair Henry Staunton FIRED then TRASHED? That is the point of view put across to Henry Staunton as he faces the Department for Trade and Business Select Committee. Henry Staunton reads out a statement where he said he supported both swifter and increased compensation for subpostmasters and that clearly the Government held a positive view when they appointed him a little over a year earlier following a long career heading and leading multiple large public companies. #PostOfficeScandal #PostOffice #SelectCommittee #HenryStaunton #PostOfficeChair #KemiBadenoch

Select Committee SHOCK at New ONGOING Post Office HR Scandal as Henry Staunton claims 80 page investigative report into the Post Office by their own Director of HR only contains a 'few lines' about him BUT is allegedly primarily focussed on the actions of the CURRENT Post Office CEO Nick Read who has appeared at the Select Committee also today. Henry Staunton says that he was trying to help Nick Read who he believed was struggling 'emotionally and mentally' and had said he wanted to resign from his £436,000 per year plus bonuses job at the Post Office over issues including pay. #PostOfficeScandal #PostOffice #PostOfficeHR #SelectCommittee #HenryStaunton #NickRead

Post Office Investigator Lisa Allen describes pre-Horizon Computer Systems Echo and ALPS that she used on a Post Office Counter from 1992 as well as details surrounding her training in the role of an investigator at the Royal Mail and the Post Office. She describes a three week residential course upon taking up the role of an investigator at the Post Office but recalls that only one day of Horizon training was given. She says that she didn't have an formal investigator training or experience prior to taking up her role as a Post Office Investigator. #PostOfficeInquiry #PostOfficeScandal #PostOffice #PostOfficeInvestigator

Post Office Investigator Lisa Allen INSISTS Job Cuts in the Security Team throughout her time there DIDN'T Impact on the Quality of investigations insisting that they maintained the requirements and standards set out by the Compliance Team at the Post Office. Despite this, she does concede that they were extremely busy and the evidence presented from managers regarding one 'headcount reduction' confirms that the jobs they were doing were not surplus to requirements. Nethertheless, numerous posts were identified to be made redundant to aid 'efficiency' and keep the Post Office 'sustainably profitable'. #PostOfficeInquiry #PostOfficeScandal #PostOffice #PostOfficeInvestigator #LisaAllen

Post Office Investigator Lisa Allen says that Horizon evidence ALONE was INSUFFICIENT Evidence to interview a subpostmaster under caution in contrast with what some previous investigators have told the Post Office Inquiry. Lisa Allen says that is subpostmasters had reasons why there might be a shortfall an interview under caution wouldn't be performed. She highlights that prosecutions against subpostmasters would not proceed if a contracts manager 'agreed' to accept a repayment of a shortfall from a subpostmaster and that she didn't believe it was right to launch a prosecution against a subpostmaster who hadn't been at least suspended even if not yet dismissed. #PostOfficeInquiry #PostOfficeScandal #PostOffice #PostOfficeInvestigator #LisaAllen

Post Office Investigator Lisa Allen explains the Legal and Disclosure Duties of her investigator role at the the Royal Mail Group and the Post Office. She discusses her role as a Disclosure Officer and the distinct duties that came with such a role. She also discusses the duties of an investigator to investigate both lines of enquiry supporting the allegations as well as those against the allegations including an example where she successfully identified evidence that undermined an initial allegation following an interview with a subpostmistress. However, she doesn't remember any formal training on how these duties were implemented in practice and instead details how she had to rely on herself. #PostOfficeInquiry #PostOfficeScandal #PostOffice #PostOfficeInvestigator #LisaAllen

Post Office Investigator Lisa Allen tells the Post Office Inquiry that ARQ Data Requests were routinely REFUSED by Post Office Casework Managers if there were large amounts of data being requested on the grounds of costs - even when the data was specifically requested by defence teams as part of disclosure. Lisa Allen confirms that each ARQ request for 30 days would count as one request so even requesting a single month containing 31 days would constitute 2 requests according to Fujitsu's Horizon contract with the Post Office. #PostOfficeInquiry #PostOfficeScandal #PostOffice #PostOfficeInvestigator #LisaAllen

Post Office Investigator Lisa Allen MISSES Opportunity to Investigate wider Horizon balancing issues in the case of Suzanne Palmer who was under investigation following on from an error notice indicating £2,500 worth of missing scratchcards that the Post Office said had been activated but there was no money for. Suzanne Palmer explains a long history of Horizon issues related to balancing and that most normally sort themselves out quite quickly - £100 up one week and £100 down the next week. However, this issue was inexplicable to the subpostmaster and she was repeatedly asking for help from the Helplines, evidence which the investigators obtained, but despite this was receiving stock lines from the Post Office about bringing the error notices to account. #PostOfficeInquiry #PostOfficeScandal #PostOffice #PostOfficeInvestigator #LisaAllen

HELPLESS Post Office Left Subpostmaster STRANDED as they faced regular Horizon balancing issues that appear to have been overlooked by Post Office Investigator Lisa Allen as she testifies at the Post Office Inquiry. The loss under investigation was a significant scratchcard loss, but subpostmaster Suzanne Palmer makes it clear that balancing issues are regularly occurring but that they have usually 'sorted themselves out' until now. This key line of inquiry appears to have been overlooked in the course of the Post Office investigation into losses at the Post Office branch. #PostOfficeInquiry #PostOfficeScandal #PostOffice #PostOfficeInvestigator #LisaAllen

Post Office Investigator Lisa Allen Makes a False Account Report in the case of Suzanne Palmer in preparation for her Post Office prosecution and is explaining the detail contained within to the Post Office Inquiry. Despite being clearly mentioned on numerous occasions during the taped interview preceding the report, all mentions of any issues with Fujitsu Horizon - including balancing issues - are omitted from the report in addition to any mention of calls to both the Horizon Helpline and NBSC Post Office helpline. But why is this? #PostOfficeInquiry #PostOfficeScandal #PostOffice #PostOfficeInvestigator #LisaAllen

Post Office Investigator Lisa Allen tells the Post Office Inquiry about a witness statement prepared for court in the case of Suzanne Palmer who is accused of taking almost £15,000 with the main focus on error notices relating to £2,500 missing related to scratch cards. Following the green light from Jarnail Singh, the case is passed to Counsel who advice that there are several elements required to be obtained including the operating procedures relating to Horizon and scratchcards as well as unanswered questions about the error notices that Suzanne Palmer discusses in her first interview. Lisa Allen discusses the second follow up statement that she made to the court. #PostOfficeInquiry #PostOfficeScandal #PostOffice #PostOfficeInvestigator #LisaAllen

Post Office Investigator Lisa Allen is asked at the Post Office Inquiry about the SELECTIVE Eventual Data Request that was made to Fujitsu from the Horizon system on the advice of counsel in the Post Office prosecution case of subpostmistress Suzanne Palmer at The Grange Post Office. Despite confirming earlier that data requests were in 'units of 30 days' only 7 days relating to error notices are eventually requested from Fujitsu. But why was this? Call logs are shown to have multiple balancing issues but these were assumed to be unrelated to the scratchcard error notices. How was this determination reached? #PostOfficeInquiry #PostOfficeScandal #PostOffice #PostOfficeInvestigator #LisaAllen

Post Office Investigator Lisa Allen ADMITS Investigation Failings to the Post Office Inquiry on reflection of the case brought against Suzanne Palmer where a jury took less than 35 minutes to deliver a 'not guilty' verdict on all counts of False Accounting brought against her whilst working at The Grange Post Office. Lisa Allen discusses that ARQ data should have been requested and also discusses the integrity of such data after an issue, sometime later, was raised with duplicate transactions from the Horizon system. Whilst admitting these failings, she says that she doesn't think it would have impacted the outcome of the investigation. #PostOfficeInquiry #PostOfficeScandal #PostOffice #PostOfficeInvestigator #LisaAllen

Post Office's Mandy Talbot tells Richard Morgan KC that Falkirk Horizon Issues confirmed on the opening day of Lee Castleton's trial were a 'bolt from a blue' in an attendance note of a telephone conversation presented at the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry. Richard Morgan KC wants to establish if anyone else has had issues with Horizon and Lee Castleton is attempting to have admitted to evidence the testimony of other subpostmasters that are facing similar issues to himself at their branches with the Fujitsu Horizon computer system. #PostOfficeInquiry #PostOfficeScandal #PostOffice #PostOfficeLegal #PostOfficeBarrister #RichardMorganKC #LeeCastleton #MarineDrive

Post Office Claims They 'Succeeded' In Case DESPITE Horizon Issues as evidence is shown by Jason Beer KC to the Post Office Inquiry. Post Office Barrister Richard Morgan KC admits that whilst Horizon issues could have potentially been a factor in the case, he says that they weren't due to the fact that the pleaded defence - whilst clearly including Horizon - stated that the case could also be proven based on the records of transactions, cash and stock which Richard Morgan KC refers to as primary documents. It is noted that some of these primary documents may have originated from the Fujitsu Horizon computer system. #PostOfficeInquiry #PostOfficeScandal #PostOffice #PostOfficeLegal #PostOfficeBarrister #RichardMorganKC #LeeCastleton #MarineDrive

Post Office Barrister Richard Morgan KC Casts DOUBT on Court Transcript presented by Jason Beer KC at the Post Office Inquiry. Richard Morgan KC questions who created the transcript, prior to agreeing to review it, saying he would like to know who the author is. He's informed that Lee Castleton's solicitors have obtained the original recording and transcribed it and he says that he normally trusts 'authorised transcribers' but nethertheless agrees to look at it with Jason Beer KC. The opening statements show that Richard Morgan KC said he offered his assistance by offering to open the case for Lee Castleton. #PostOfficeInquiry #PostOfficeScandal #PostOffice #PostOfficeLegal #PostOfficeBarrister #RichardMorganKC #LeeCastleton #MarineDrive

Post Office Barrister Richard Morgan KC says that he told the Post Office their case against Lee Castleton was 'commercial MADNESS' as he testifies at the Post Office Inquiry. Richard Morgan KC says he advised the Post Office that the amount they were seeking was small and that costs would far and away outstrip them so it made no sense to pursue the case and instead they should seek to settle. He testifies that the Post Office instructed him to continue the case against Lee Castleton regardless of his advice so he continued to act for the Post Office. #PostOfficeInquiry #PostOfficeScandal #PostOffice #PostOfficeLegal #PostOfficeBarrister #RichardMorganKC #LeeCastleton #MarineDrive

Post Office Regarded Lee Castleton's Case as a 'test case' according to an attendance note of a meeting between Mandy Talbot and Richard Morgan KC shown in evidence at the Post Office Inquiry. Post Office Barrister Richard Morgan KC firmly disagrees with this characterisation saying that in his experience only government departments instructed test cases and they asked for specific legal arguments to be won in court to enable other cases to use similar proven arguments. Despite this he does not seem to reply or challenge Mandy Talbot's assertion that Lee Castleton's case appears to be becoming a 'test case' for the Post Office. #PostOfficeInquiry #PostOfficeScandal #PostOffice #PostOfficeLegal #PostOfficeBarrister #RichardMorganKC #LeeCastleton #MarineDrive

Post Office INSISTS Horizon be VINDICATED by subpostmaster as Part of Pre-Trial Settlement proposed on behalf of the Post Office in a case led by Post Office Barrister Richard Morgan KC against Lee Castleton at Marine Drive. Whilst Richard Morgan KC insists that the motivation for the Post Office was recovery of sums owed, evidence presented at the Post Office Inquiry through meetings and emails suggests that the Post Office, and in particular Mandy Talbot, made clear on different occasions that they wanted to pursue the case to vindicate the Horizon system, prove its integrity and dissuade subpostmasters from pursing further claims against the Post Office. #PostOfficeInquiry #PostOfficeScandal #PostOffice #PostOfficeLegal #PostOfficeBarrister #RichardMorganKC #LeeCastleton #MarineDrive

Post Office Barrister Richard Morgan KC Helps the Post Office Derive 'MAXIMUM Advantage' from the judgement against Lee Castleton in evidence shown to the Post Office Inquiry. In line with the Post Office's previously stated aims, Richard Morgan KC advises how they can use the judgement to set a 'Castleton precedent' that could be referred to in future cases against subpostmasters and significantly reduce the costs involved in recovering money from them for losses alleged by the Fujitsu Horizon system. #PostOfficeInquiry #PostOfficeScandal #PostOffice #PostOfficeLegal #PostOfficeBarrister #RichardMorganKC #LeeCastleton #MarineDrive