Ex-Post Office investigator says he knew of Horizon issues but wasn’t ‘technically minded’

Ex-Post Office investigator says he knew of Horizon issues but wasn’t ‘technically minded’

You were aware in 2010 of a body of reporting in the public domain about problems with the Horizon system that’s correct yes and that didn’t cause you to reflect a little bit more the the only reflection is that during any investigation if the issue of arise and issues would have come up it

Would have been explored with the person can we look at fuj 0015 4879 please and can we at page five we’ll begin on page five this is the 9th of February 2010 page five so the same same year as those reports are forwarded to you we have an email from yourself to

Somebody called Valerie Lipscomb who who is Valerie lipsc do you remember I’m not sure whether she’s part of the um deiz and call center where you would get any uh because calls made into the business you would have the the business side of Paul and then arise that their own call

Center so you needed two types of um the calls to see whether anybody called and you say there Valerie thanks for the logs I was wondering if you could help me further I require logs of all calls in relation to Horizon problems am I right in thinking the attached log is

Due to transactional queries if we go to page three of the same email chain at the bottom of page three please we have an email there from Mark Dinsdale security program manager at the post office can we scroll up slightly to Penny Thomas who is at Fujitsu do you recall Penny Thomas Penny

Thomas was there yeah and your copied into that email that’s right and he says Penny can we set up a process for these requests because we’re getting more and more of them would you be able to provide the information Steve has requested and that’s about the rinkfield

Case um so in 2010 and 2011 you were certainly aware of a body of cases relating to the Horizon system that were building up were you not from from from that information yes and as as I said if it if it’s come up within the the

Interview I took the actions to try and find out what the issue with the Horizon was against the logs and in this case Mr Dale had set up um all contact with the Fujitsu Fujitsu would be done by the casework team yes but in 2010 you had received those articles relating to

Problems with Horizon you were aware from this communication that there was a body of cases relating to concerns about the Horizon system didn’t that cause you pause for thought the pause for thought is that when when you would speak to the person being interviewed you would take that

Into account so if if you’re informed that these an issue within Horizon you would look you would do your best to find out what the issue was but but you began today by saying that nobody from above had been telling you about bugs errors or defects I don’t count Mr

Knight as somebody from above he was just equal that he’s taking it from the papers so you have been told by your equals that there were newspaper article you have been told by your equals uh that there was a growing body of cases but that in itself was not sufficient

For you to question the reliability of the Horizon system because I’m I’m I’m not technically minded with that I would expect that to come from the people above if it was an issue I would expect Fujitsu to inform the post office and the post office to let us know what what the issues

Are

Stephen Bradshaw told the Horizon scandal inquiry that he knew of reports of problems with the system but wasn’t ‘technically minded.’ Bradshaw said: ‘If there was an issue, I would expect Fujitsu [Horizon’s maker] to inform the Post Office and the Post Office to let us know what the issues are’

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