Post Office Scandal: Former Postmistress Jess Kaur Shares Her Story | Good Morning Britain

GMB has been told that dozens more post office workers may have been wrongly prosecuted after taking part in a pilot scheme an experimental scheme of the faulty Horizon system and this was four years before the full software rollout faulty software rollout in 1999 that's according to the labor MP Kevin Jones who is a member of The Horizon compensation Advisory Board and Kevin joins us live now a very good morning to you um good morning what was this scheme and how many people do you think were wrongly prosecuted because of it well evidence has come out at the public inquiry about this but I actually found out last year when I visited a sub postmaster who had been uh wrly convicted or thought they' been wrongly convicted only when I went to see them was that the dates that the individual gave me didn't match up with the Horizon when I then approached the post office it uh evidence came out of this pilot scheme with three 300 people it took place before the Horizon scheme and I know that there's at least one other individual that was prosecuted for taking part in this pilot so let's just get this clear this was an experimental roll out of you said have about 300 post offices and the whole point of a pilot and an experimental roll out of technical kit is to see if it works properly and when it didn't work properly even then the post office made the instant assumption that the somehow these postmasters had had had gone bent I know it sounds remarkable but I've been dealing with the uh post office for many years now on this and nothing ever surprises me about the post office uh the problem I think with the post office is and it was been it's come out now at the public inquiry is part of the contract is if there were shortfalls the post Masters act to make up the difference and you know that's what the uh post off just assumed would happen did the post office conceal this because they certainly didn't reveal it it it's only become public knowledge for the last four weeks well that's what you know is just astounding about this entire episode and the Scandal is you would have thought with all the publicity around Horizon the post office would have said well we have possibly another problem with this pilot scheme they didn't it took it it took the inquiry the public inquiry to people to write in there about it and also for me to actually speak to individuals who were part of it we now need a full explanation from the post what was this pilot and who was actually prosecuted they are the masters of the cover up aren't they well it's the only that that is the point that got to get over and I think that's why the uh drama was very good not only expos in the lies and deceit that took place but I think what was was good about it it showed the complete arake and broken lives that this is UN inflicted and obviously you've got jesson next and anyone who's met many of these victims will know that they're very proud individuals and that's one of the problems about overturning the convictions M most of these people will not come forward the reason why they will not go anywhere near a court of law uh because of the trauma and uh disruption to their lives and no don't their lives but their famili family's lives uh because of this Scandal and and we spoke to the post office Minister last week and one of the questions was why have only a fraction of those convicted had their um cases overturned their convictions overturned he said that people have to come forward but Kevin Jones why do they have to come forward why firstly can the government not contact every single person or just offer a blanket exoneration if your case was clearly one of these where there was you know a a false prosecution you know they got their facts wrong whatever you know I in my mind these these poor individuals were scammed they never owed this money and they should never have been prosecuted why can't they just be given a pardon the you know their reputation's completely cleared I totally agree with you and the problem is is they have to come forward and if you actually meet the individuals I've just said many of them will not come forward the per to the post Min he has actually written to a lot of these individuals 927 of them and only 93 have been overturned but these individuals are not going to come forward because they're not going to put themselves to the arake of a court case why can't they just receive a blanket exoneration if that if their case came in those dates on those facts which we now know weren't facts at all why can't is that possible legally well that's what myself and the other members of The Advisory Board of written to the LA chance to the Justice secretary saying that because it's now being clearly demonstrated in court and at the public inquiry that the uh Horizon system was uh not robust and at fault any convictions that were resulting of that system must be unsound and I agree totally there should be a blanket pardon these I think I think we all do um Kevin Jones MP more power to your elbow um and it's no surprise these people don't want to come forward it's a case of once spitten and twice shy isn't it well we're now joined by somebody who did come forward one of the victims of the Scandal former sub postmaster Jess core whose story was also depicted in itv's drama she was relentlessly pursued by the post office for theft but her case was eventually thrown out not before she suffered a complete mental breakdown tried to take her own life and receiv received psychiatric treatments including shock therapy which was all depicted on the drama Jess yeah and what is remarkable thank you for coming in and for speaking out thank you for having me is it was years this went through the courts yeah eventually they couldn't produce the evidence the case was dropped you have not received compensation no or an apology no uh that I think is unforgivable yeah what impact has this had on you um since the Drama Series has come out um there's a lot of people that are getting in touch with us um a lot of media out there has being in touch with me as well like yourselves um I'm glad it's out there it needs to be out there and that I'm not the only one suffering it's um a hell of a lot of people and to be able to to show the drama and then people actually realizing what is actually going on you went through Beggar's belief yeah um not only were you pursued by the post office but local people understandably I suppose believed what they were reading in the newspapers well and but unforgivably then went on to come in and spit on the floor of your shop yeah they spot on the floor they threw newspapers on the floor they smashed my car windows they should be ashamed of themselves yeah of course yeah yeah and this the impact of all of this not just the legal action by the post office but but the community reaction not everybody but but but these individuals it almost drove you mad didn't it it did yeah yeah it drove me so mad that um I tried to commit suicide and you ended up in in in hospital yeah and as we saw in the drama you were given it things were so extreme with you are you all right are you okay Jess you honestly show such strength by speaking out and I I I can imagine your family is so proud of you for doing that and the community as well will know the truth I find it unforgivable unacceptable that the post office has not apologized to you personally that they put you through this it is absolutely I would say criminally irresponsible you were accused of stealing £1,000 it was absolutely not what had happened you had not stolen A Penny no from the post office it's disgusting the treatment that you have had to endure and it is obvious to anyone watching that this has severely impacted your confidence yeah um and your life look I I hope and I don't know if Kevin Jones is is still there I hope we can get you redress Kevin Jones I don't know if you're listening and and clearly this is so this has had such a massive impact on Jess what is the explanation you are on the compensation Advisory Board what is the reason why someone so devastated by something someone innocent a pillar of the community someone who was running a community Hub the post office one of the most trusted institutions previously previously you know with enormous Integrity what is the reason why Jess in particular has not received not just compensation for the devastations she's been through but an apology can you have you got any explanation yeah arrogance uh and I think bureaucracy uh I think we need to press on people like Jess Jess is one of many uh uh and you know 10 out of 10 for for coming on this program it must be very difficult for her uh but you know she's gone through mental torture a lot of other people have gone through that but she's been brave enough to uh stick with it and the only thing that I could say to uh people who haven't met any of the victims is you know I have tremendous respect for them but also my I get angry friend frankly because uh you know this was C this this was not people making mistakes this was deliberate cover up yeah and people like Jess went through uh torture and her family did For No Good Reason apart from uh the arrogance of the post office and those individuals who should have known better absolutely but just why hasn't she received compensation Kevin Jones well I don't know about Jess's individual case but part of the problem is we've now got three schemes which have made it very bureaucratic myself and James Al bunot who sit on the compensation Advisory Board along with two academics are pressing for speeding up this process and there's one thing that this drama has done is we need to put uh turbocharges behind making sure that not only they get compensation but we bring to account those people uh who were responsible for this do you think there should that individuals should be prosecuted well look at the evidence in court and the evidence that's come out in the public inquiry uh you know there is Ting I think charges that could be laid against quite a number of individuals and that's got to happen because I think compensation is vitally important no matter of compensations ever going to I think replace what Jess and her family have gone through absolutely but but I think what what people do need is they want ultimately to know that people are going to be held to account that's what Tom Brown my constituent who sadly died before Christmas before he could get Justice wanted he wanted to know what happened and that people that made these decisions are going to take well Public Public public opinion is solidly behind that there are very there are millions of people in this country who want to see the individuals responsible go to jail they want never mind just prosecuted they want to see them in prison I just want it all behind me now to be able to get on with our future um one thing I did want to bring up as well is the fact that while I was in hospital um the post office didn't believe that I was there so they sent their own um do s they thought you were lying about being in hospital and they sent their own doctors to check that you were there yeah and then they examined me as well yeah so no Not only was I getting the electric shock treatments I was always also getting grief of them to and these the I was going to ask you when we we paused the interview you're back in the saddle now um this electric shock treatment it's robbed you of of of memories you've lost memories of your childhood childhood and you're still on medication aren't still on medication quite substantial medication yeah yeah well we pray that you get the compensation and the apology that you so richly deserve thank you and the irony is that we have this statement from the post office which says we're acutely aware of the human cost of the Scandal and both po both post office and government are continuing to provide full and fair compensation but you haven't received nothing aen in compensation it's just words isn't it it's just words yeah well we send you our blessings thank you and the best wishes for the future thank you for having me and thank you for your bravery and coming it was a real ordal for you thank you

Channel: Good Morning Britain

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Keywords: good morning britain, breakfast show, news, morning news, gmb, good morning britain interview, itv, susanna reid, Talk Shows - Topic, post office, uk latest, false accounting, computer system, post office scandal, mr bates vs the post office trailer, mr bates vs the post office itv, horizon scandal, horizon post office scandal documentary, postal scandal, mr bates vs the post office

Id: 0mBvCZOD4LM

Length: 13min 11sec (791 seconds)

Published: Mon Jan 08 2024