The Great Post Office Trial

BBC Radio 4

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CRÍMENES REALES

An investigation of the largest miscarriage of justice in UK legal history. It's the story of how the Post Office systematically persecuted honest people, and how a small band of victims fought back in the face of impossible odds.

12 FEB

18. Now What?

2024 was the year when the Post Office's victimisation of sub-postmasters became a ubiquitous national story, after the airing of an ITV Drama. "Mr Bates vs the Post Office" was viewed by more than 10 million people, and brought political momentum to the resolution of the ongoing injustices associated with the scandal. Before the election, the government passed landmark legislation to cut through the achingly slow judicial process and speedily overturn hundreds of convictions in one fell swoop. It was a major victory for Sub Postmasters and campaigners - but does it mean the scandal is over? In a new episode of "The Great Post Office Trial", Nick Wallis goes behind the scenes of the efforts to get that legislation passed, hearing from the then Justice secretary and Post Office minister on the complex negotiations against the clock that got it through. And he also hears about the key compromise that helped reduce criticism from the judiciary - but has left some convicted sub-postmasters still out in the cold. He also explores the question of accountability at the top, as the police investigation grinds on, revisiting the evidence given by former Post Office CEO Paula Vennells, which was pushed out of the news cycle by the announcement of the election. And he hears from Sub Postmasters who are still frustrated by the pace and quantity of compensation payments, as more victims of this scandal continue to be put through the ringer in pursuit of the compensation the government has promised; he puts their concerns to Gareth Thomas MP, who has taken over since the election as the minister responsible, and Neil Brocklehurst, the Post Office's interim CEO. Producer: Robert Nicholson Executive Producer: Will Yates Sound Design: Emma Barnaby Research: Artemis Irvine A Whistledown Production for BBC Radio 4.

42 min
17/11/2023

17. Facing the Music

The Post Office Horizon Scandal has been called the widest miscarriage of justice in modern British history, with the number of former Sub Postmasters whose convictions have been overturned now over 60. Those who suffered prosecution or financial ruin due to errors on the Post Office's Horizon computer system want answers. How could this have happened? Who is responsible? Continuing the series that has helped expose the scandal since 2020, Nick Wallis draws on interviews, documents and the extraordinary revelations spilling out of the ongoing public inquiry. For the first time, the public is getting real insight into what was really going on inside the Post Office. In Episode 17, Nick explores how senior Post Office lawyers and managers reacted in 2013 to the biggest challenge to the Horizon system yet. After MPs forced an independent investigation which identified bugs in Horizon, the Post Office publicly backed their computer system and reaffirmed their faith in the prosecutions they had conducted. But behind the scenes, all hell was breaking loose. Presenter: Nick Wallis Producer: Robert Nicholson Sound Design and Mixing: Arlie Adlington Executive Producer: Will Yates A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4

15 min
16/11/2023

16. Closed Ranks

The Post Office Horizon Scandal has been called the widest miscarriage of justice in modern British history, with the number of former Sub Postmasters whose convictions have been overturned now over 60. Those who suffered prosecution or financial ruin due to errors on the Post Office's Horizon computer system want answers. How could this have happened? Who is responsible? Continuing the series that has helped expose the scandal since 2020, Nick Wallis draws on interviews, documents and the extraordinary revelations spilling out of the ongoing public inquiry. For the first time, the public is getting real insight into what was really going on inside the Post Office. In Episode 16, we hear how newly revealed documents show that the Post Office rejected even internal calls for an independent investigation of Horizon. They instead commissioned a deliberately one sided internal report which never even considered evidence of errors. This report was nevertheless used to justify dismissing Sub Postmasters' concerns and maintaining an aggressive prosecution strategy. Presenter: Nick Wallis Producer: Robert Nicholson Sound Design and Mixing: Arlie Adlington Executive Producer: Will Yates A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4

15 min
15/11/2023

15. Breaking Lee Castleton

The Post Office Horizon Scandal has been called the widest miscarriage of justice in modern British history, with the number of former Sub Postmasters whose convictions have been overturned now over 60. Those who suffered prosecution or financial ruin due to errors on the Post Office's Horizon computer system want answers. How could this have happened? Who is responsible? Continuing the series that has helped expose the scandal since 2020, Nick Wallis draws on interviews, documents and the extraordinary revelations spilling out of the ongoing public inquiry. For the first time, the public is getting real insight into what was really going on inside the Post Office. In Episode 15, we hear how the Post Office ruined the life of Lee Castleton, a Sub Postmaster based in Bridlington who was taken to court over debts he says came from the Horizon computer system. New evidence reveals that the Post Office failed to investigate Lee's claims of computer errors in depth before taking him to court, and shows that evidence that may have cast doubt on Horizon was known about but not provided at the trial. Presenter: Nick Wallis Producer: Robert Nicholson Sound Design and Mixing: Arlie Adlington Executive Producer: Will Yates A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4

15 min
14/11/2023

14. The Prosecution Spree

The Post Office Horizon Scandal has been called the widest miscarriage of justice in modern British history, with the number of former Sub Postmasters whose convictions have been overturned now over 60. Those who suffered prosecution or financial ruin due to errors on the Post Office's Horizon computer system want answers. How could this have happened? Who is responsible? Continuing the series that has helped expose the scandal since 2020, Nick Wallis draws on interviews, documents and the extraordinary revelations spilling out of the ongoing public inquiry. For the first time, the public is getting real insight into what was really going on inside the Post Office. In Episode 14, we hear how the Post Office disregarded red flags about Horizon when it rolled the system out, and how flawed and incomplete prosecution policies set the stage for the mass prosecution of many innocent Sub Postmasters. Presenter: Nick Wallis Producer: Robert Nicholson Sound Design and Mixing: Arlie Adlington Executive Producer: Will Yates A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4

15 min
13/11/2023

13. Inside the Machine

The Post Office Horizon Scandal has been called the widest miscarriage of justice in modern British history, with the number of former Sub Postmasters whose convictions have been overturned now over 60. Those who suffered prosecution or financial ruin due to errors on the Post Office's Horizon computer system want answers. How could this have happened? Who is responsible? Continuing the series that has helped expose the scandal since 2020, Nick Wallis draws on interviews, documents and the extraordinary revelations spilling out of the ongoing public inquiry. For the first time, the public is getting real insight into what was really going on inside the Post Office. Presenter: Nick Wallis Producer: Robert Nicholson Sound Design and Mixing: Arlie Adlington Executive Producer: Will Yates A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4

15 min
14/07/2023

Bonus Episode: The Full Nick Read Interview

In this bonus episode of The Great Post Office Trial, hear Nick Wallis' full interview with Post Office CEO Nick Read - the first Post Office CEO to ever give an interview about the scandal.

30 min
27/06/2023

12. Nowhere Near Over

Nick Wallis has been investigating the Post Office Horizon scandal for more than a decade, revealing the true story of the Post Office's persecution of its own Sub Postmasters. A long campaign for justice has forced the launching of a wide ranging public inquiry, which started hearing evidence last year. The Post Office and the government have also agreed to run three separate compensation schemes to try and make things right. The inquiry is forcing extraordinary evidence to light. It implicates senior staff in stunning cultural failings. But even as this picture emerges, campaigners and politicians following the scandal are ringing alarm bells about how the Post Office is behaving now. Key people who are accused of covering up the scandal are still in their jobs, even as the Post Office claims to have turned over a new leaf. Post Office bosses recently generated fresh outrage by awarding themselves generous bonuses for helping the inquiry complete its work, despite the fact that the inquiry has only just started. Post Office CEO Nick Read has apologised and returned the bonus, after the inquiry rebuked the Post Office directly. And, as Nick Wallis explores the Sub Postmasters' fight for fair compensation, he discovers that many feel the Post Office is treating them now just as they have treated them throughout the worst of the scandal. In a new edition of The Great Post Office Trial, hearing from people at the heart of a fresh wave of revelations, Nick discovers a shocking truth - the scandal, even as it is being investigated by a public inquiry, is far from over. Presenter: Nick Wallis Producer: Robert Nicholson Executive Producer: Will Yates Sound Designer: Emma Barnaby A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4

28 min

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An investigation of the largest miscarriage of justice in UK legal history. It's the story of how the Post Office systematically persecuted honest people, and how a small band of victims fought back in the face of impossible odds.