At least 18 folks have now come ahead elevating considerations over a second IT system utilized by the Post Office, Sky News understands.
Accounting software program, Capture, was put in by a number of put up workplaces across the nation within the mid to late 90s – earlier than the infamous Horizon system was rolled out.
Hundreds of sub-postmasters have been wrongly convicted after errors within the Horizon software program triggered false accounting shortfalls.
Lawyers for the victims of the Post Office scandal have advised Sky News extra individuals who used the Capture system could now come ahead.
Sources have additionally mentioned there are rising considerations a couple of continued “culture of denial” on the Post Office, and a suspicion that record-keeping was “in a mess”.
Documents present that Capture was recognized by the Post Office to have points early on.
A Post Office spokesperson mentioned they take any considerations “very seriously”.
They are additionally “particularly concerned about allegations of prosecutions”.
Their assertion continues, saying that they’re trying into “whether shortfalls could have been caused by faults in this software, and the potential impacts if so”.
Given the passage of time, and modifications to knowledge storage they are saying they “do not yet have a complete picture”.
The Capture software program system was not believed to have been “networked” to a bigger, wider, system however was utilized by some postmasters throughout the nation.
Former sub-postmasters have advised Sky News they needed to pay greater than £1,000 for the software program regardless of it being developed in-house by the Post Office.
Steve Marston, now 68-years-old, pleaded responsible to theft after shortfalls of over £79,000 confirmed up within the yr between 1996 and 1997 when he began to make use of the Capture software program.
For the twenty years earlier, he mentioned he had had “no issues” with accounting.
Mr Marston had acquired bravery awards from the Post Office up to now for confronting armed robbers on two events.
He describes feeling “betrayed” by the Post Office who, he says, missed a possibility forward of the Horizon scandal.
“I mistakenly thought Capture was a computerised system and computers don’t make mistakes.
“I did not know any higher. I simply mechanically assumed it was one thing I used to be doing mistaken.”
He was spared prison but spent 12 months on probation and still feels the “disgrace”, saying it has ruined his and his family’s life.
After his conviction, he sold his wedding rings and wife’s jewellery to “make ends meet”, and spent years living in a caravan because he lost his house.
“I simply felt so responsible – I nonetheless really feel disgrace and guilt about it.”
Read more:
Woman who died after conviction may have suffered miscarriage of justice
Former postmaster says compensation offer is ‘insulting’
Post Office chairman ousted amid row with government
Rupert Lloyd Thomas, a former IT specialist for the Post Office for 27 years, said he had repeatedly raised concerns about how the Post Office managed its software systems.
He was a local manager in Birmingham in the mid-80s, at one point, and says he often went into offices to see what was happening.
“I keep in mind visiting an workplace in west London, in Hounslow,” he said, “and I opened a cabinet there and there have been a whole lot of floppy disks sitting on this cabinet kind of discarded and I mentioned properly, what’s all this?
“This was software crashing in the office, and yet I get back to headquarters in London. Nobody’s interested. You know, we’re getting a new system. So why would we worry about mending the old one.
“All of these issues went on. I believe quite a lot of these people who have appeared in entrance of the Post Office inquiry genuinely did not know what was occurring as a result of they did not trouble to go discover out.”
Click to subscribe to the Sky News Daily wherever you get your podcasts
Kevan Jones, MP, who has supported Horizon victims, says he’s in contact with round ten doable victims of Capture.
“What makes me very angry,” he says, “is the fact that the Post Office, despite all the publicity around Horizon, didn’t feel necessary to come forward and admit that they had a system before Horizon where similar things occurred.
“They have not raised that on the public inquiry, they have not raised it with ministers.
“And I think certainly Nick Reed the chief executive needs to come clean now and ask why they’ve not done that.”
The Department for Business and Trade has mentioned that it “is in active discussions with the Post Office about the Capture system issue and are taking it very seriously”.
“If there is evidence that this system led to improper accusations, the government will not hesitate in taking robust action.”
It can be understood that there’s a chance the general public inquiry could possibly be expanded to incorporate the Capture system if extra proof emerges.
Source: information.sky.com”