'There is no justice without accountability': Post Office Inquiry draws to a close after three years

Several of the Post Office's former employees who lost their livelihoods were present to hear the closing arguments, ITV News Investigations Editor Daniel Hewitt reports

Words by ITV News Producer Lizzie Ward

After three years, the Post Office Inquiry sat for the last time on Tuesday.

Closing arguments were heard from the Post Office, its former CEO Paula Vennells and Fujitsu, the company that manufactured the faulty Horizon IT system.

All three offered their apologies to those affected by the scandal that has spanned more than a quarter of a century.

But each took it in turn to place the blame at the others' feet.

Paula Vennells claimed those around her did not provide her - the boss of the Post Office - with the necessary information.

Ms Vennells herself was not there, but instead was represented by her lawyer, Samantha Leek KC.

She argued that whilst the former CEO had "no desire to point fingers at others", she "still does not know why key information was not passed on to her and explained".

It is a departure from May, when Ms Vennells, now 65, appeared at the inquiry and admitted she had "no-one to blame" but herself for what happened during the Horizon scandal.

Her legal team insisted that the inquiry had heard nothing that showed that the ordained priest "acted in bad faith".

They went on to say that Ms Vennells "wanted to do right by the sub-postmasters", but conceded that "she did not manage to uncover the truth about the extent of the bugs, errors and defects in Horizon".

They said that this was "a matter of deep and constant regret to Ms Vennells, as is the fact that the convictions of the sub-postmasters were not overturned sooner".

More than 900 sub-postmasters were prosecuted between 1999 and 2015, after faulty Horizon software made it appear as though money was missing from their accounts.

Many lost their livelihoods, savings, reputations and some even went to prison.

Several of these former employees were present to hear the closing arguments.

Speaking to ITV News after the inquiry sat for the final time, former sub-postmasters Lee Castleton and Janet Skinner said "there is no justice without accountability, and until one person - or 100 people - take accountability, this won't end".

Mr Castleton was declared bankrupt after losing a two-year battle when the Post Office falsely accused him of stealing £25,000 from his branch in East Yorkshire in 2004.

Ms Skinner was wrongly jailed for theft in 2007 over a £59,000 shortfall from her Post Office branch in Hull.

The previous government announced that those who have had convictions quashed are eligible for £600,000 payouts.

As of this month, £500 million has been paid out to 3,000 victims across a series of compensation schemes, yet hundreds of former sub-postmasters are still awaiting compensation, including Ms Skinner.

She says she has had to provide proof of the medical impact of the scandal five times. Mr Castleton said "that is not someone who is listening", adding "they are "revictimising victims".

Speaking about Ms Vennells, they said that whilst they recognised she was not solely responsible, she may have been "complicit in a cover up".

But, they say, accountability needs to extend beyond Ms Vennells as "this isn't about one person".

They even expressed sympathy, saying they don't want her to be scapegoated, drawing on their experiences: "We know what its like to be singled out".

Mr Castleton and Ms Skinner are calling for further action against those involved in the scandal: "It is important they are fairly, openly dealt with in the public domain, according to the law. We were never given that chance".

"Currently, no person has lost their liberty or their job," said Mr Castleton.

The inquiry also heard from representatives of former Fujitsu engineer Gareth Jenkins, who denies obscuring issues with Horizon, and the Department for Business and Trade.

The Post Office offered the following apology: "The Post office repeats its sincere apology to all who have been affected by its actions and reiterates its determination to continue with the process of learning lessons from this inquiry and remains firmly committed to ensuring that nothing like this could ever happen again, but acknowledges that it will be rightly judged in the months and years to come by what it does, not what it says it is going to do."

Paula Vennells said: "I am very sorry I was not able to find out what the inquiry has found out. I don’t know today how much wasn’t told to me, I do know information that I didn’t get and I don’t know in some cases why it didn’t reach me."

Fujitsu said it "reiterates its sincere apology to the sub-postmaster employees and their families."

Chairman Sir Wyn Williams told those in attendance that his final report was "without doubt many months away", and did not yet know when it would be published.

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