BUSINESS secretary Kemi Badenoch said last Sunday (28) that she had sacked the chairman of the Post Office amid tensions over the scandal of hundreds of subpostmasters wrongly convicted of theft due to faulty accounting software.
An ITV television drama in early January that told the story of the subpostmasters’ ordeal and their ongoing battle to clear their names and secure compensation shocked the nation.
The strong public reaction prompted prime minister Rishi Sunak to announce in parliament that his government would legislate to ensure the victims of what has been called Britain’s biggest miscarriage of justice were “swiftly exonerated and compensated”.
“We had a conversation and it was agreed that it was better that the Post Office had new leadership going forward,” Badenoch told Sky News, confirming that she had removed Post Office chief Henry Staunton.
There has been intense criticism of previous Post Office chief Paula Vennells and others who are accused of allowing the prosecutions to continue even after problems with the software were known about.
Staunton, appointed in December 2022, was not at the helm during the installation of the faulty Horizon software or the subsequent legal cases.
“But I decided that given all of the difficulties the Post Office is having, it’s not just about Horizon; it’s about the entire business model, how we make it work, that we needed someone who could chair a board that was able to deal with these things effectively,” Badenoch added.
The minister also said she “certainly” expected Japanese tech firm Fujitsu to pay compensation over the scandal.
Glitches in the IT system made it look as if money was missing leading to the conviction of over 700 subpostmasters for theft or false accounting between 1999 and 2015.
Some went to jail, were made bankrupt or lost their homes. Four took their own lives.
Badenoch said she had written to the chairman of Fujitsu asking for meetings.
“Fujitsu... are very much a part of this story, it’s not just the Post Office management and I hope that they [Fujitsu] will do the right thing,” she said.
Head of Fujitsu’s European arm Paul Patterson told a public inquiry probing the scandal earlier in January that he was appalled and that the company had a “moral obligation” to help compensate the subpostmasters.
Clifford had previously pleaded guilty to the murders of BBC sports commentator John Hunt’s wife and two daughters at their home in northwest of London, in July 2024. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)
Crossbow murderer found guilty of raping ex-girlfriend
A 26-YEAR-OLD man who murdered three women in a crossbow and stabbing attack has been found guilty of raping one of them, his ex-girlfriend, a British court ruled on Thursday.
Kyle Clifford had previously pleaded guilty to the murders of BBC sports commentator John Hunt’s wife and two daughters at their home in Bushey, northwest of London, in July 2024.
The attack led to a manhunt before Clifford was found injured hours later in a north London cemetery.
A jury at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday convicted Clifford of raping 25-year-old Louise Hunt before killing her.
His sentencing for all the crimes is scheduled for Tuesday.
Clifford had admitted to murdering Carol Hunt, 61, and her daughters Louise and Hannah, 28. He had also pleaded guilty to charges of false imprisonment and possessing offensive weapons but denied raping Louise.
During the trial, the court heard that after killing Carol Hunt, Clifford waited for an hour before attacking Louise, tying her up, raping her, and then killing her with a crossbow. He later killed Hannah when she returned home from work.
The prosecution described Clifford, a former soldier, as committing a "violent, sexual act of spite" and said he was "enraged" after Louise ended their 18-month relationship. They told the court that he had "carefully planned" the attack.
Less than 24 hours before the killings, Clifford had searched for a podcast by social media influencer Andrew Tate, according to the prosecution. They argued that the murders were driven by the "violent misogyny promoted" by Tate.
Justice Joel Bennathan called Clifford’s crimes "dreadful" and "almost unspeakable".
(With inputs from AFP)