I have been listening to some of the enquiry evidence. In particular I have listened to some of the investigators. The ones who did the job that the police should have done. One of them said this week that, despite the fact that one of the postmasters he prosecuted, who died some years ago, was posthumously cleared of all wrong doing, he was still convinced that postmaster had been guilty.
Apart from the appalling failure of the Post Office to ensure that their investigators were fully trained in how to investigate a criminal offence - note, they are supposed to look for all evidence, not just the evidence that convicts, there is a more complicated issue.
Many of those convicted were not convicted of theft, but of false accounting. They were personally responsible for making good any losses, no matter how they were incurred. Once they had used their savings and re-mortgaged their homes, some falsified their records to hide the shortfalls caused by the computer flaws. Technically, they were guilty of false accounting and that is what the investigators concentrated on - it did not matter whether computer flaws existed, because those persecuted (and I mean that word) HAD falsified their accounts. That offence did not rely on whether the computer was accurate of not.
I do hope that some of the senior people involved, including the post office legal advisors, do not escape prison for conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.
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