A new drama is set to air in 2024 charts the astonishing battle fought by Post Office workers to clear their name after a faulty computer system accused them of stealing money.
The Horizon scandal, which has been described as the most widespread miscarriage of justice in UK history, saw more than 700 Post Office branch managers handed criminal convictions after faulty Fujitsu accounting software introduced in 1999 made it appear as though money was missing.
At the time Post Office bosses refused to listen to subpostmasters who said their was an error with the software, with many being told wrongly that no one else had reported a problem.
Paula Vennells oversaw the organisation whilst it routinely denied there were problems, and after it emerged there were serious issues she later said she was “truly sorry” for the “suffering” caused to subpostmasters who were wrongly convicted of offences.
ITV are now airing the drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office, ITV1 on 9pm January 1 until January 4, charting how a group determined to clear their names took the postal giant to court, and won.
Express.co.uk looks at where Ms Vennells is now and how the crisis unfolded…
Watch the trailer for ITV’s Mr Bates Vs The Post Office
READ MORE… Lawyers seek police investigation into Post Office executives
Under Ms Vennells watch thousands of subpostmasters were accused of taking money (Image: PA)
What happened with the Horizon Post Office scandal?
In 1999 the Horizon IT system was trumpeted as a better way for Post Office managers to handle their branch accounts.
However, subpostmasters quickly started to notice discrepancies they could not explain in their records. Many began reporting the fault to the Post Office but they were told no one else was experiencing a problem.
The Post Office accused the subpostmasters of taking the missing money themselves and started criminal proceedings. Between 1999 and 2015 more than 700 people were wrongly prosecuted using data from the IT system.
Wrongly accused managers were jailed, left financially ruined, and some even committed suicide.
In 2019, the High Court ruled the Horizon software contained “bugs, errors and defects” and there was a “material risk” it had caused shortfalls in Post Office branch accounts.
So far 93 convictions have been overturned and compensation payouts have so far totalled £138million.
Lawyers representing victims of the Post Office Horizon scandal say there is “more than enough evidence” for police to investigate senior staff members accused of covering it up.
Who plays Paula Vennells in Mr Bates vs Post Office?
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In Mr Bates vs The Post Office the role of Ms Vennells is played by Lia Williams.
Speaking about her role, Ms Williams told the Evening Standard: “She was an ordained minister (she’s left now), married with two boys, my understanding of her is that she’s very bright.
“I tried to portray her with ambiguity because I felt that best served the script and the piece.”
Ms Vennells was managing director from 2010 to 2012 and then chief executive officer at the Post Office from 2012 to 2019.
She held high-profile corporate roles at both Morrisons and the homeware chain Dunhelm, having started her career with Unilever and L’Oreal.
Ms Vennells stepped down from her role at the Post Office in February 2019.
Some 93 subpostmasters have now had their convictions overturned (Image: Getty )
What happened to Paula Vennells and where is she now?
After leaving the Post Office with a reported bonus of nearly £400,000 and a CBE, Ms Vennells worked as minister at the Church of St Owen near Bedford, the Sun reports.
She served as a Non-Executive Board Member at the Cabinet Office between February 2019 and March 2020.
According to the UK Government website Ms Vennels was member of the government’s Financial Inclusion Policy Forum and of the Ethical Investment Advisory Group for the Church of England.
She received her CBE in the 2019 New Year Honours List for services to the Post Office and to charity.
This month Labour MP Kevan Jones (North Durham) told the Commons he has written on numerous occasions to the Honours Forfeiture Committee to get the honour removed from Ms Vennells.
A new ITV drama Mr Bates vs the Post Office airs on January 1 at 9pm (Image: ITV Studios )
Business minister Kevin Hollinrake highlighted the need to hold individuals to account, telling Mr Jones: “I think Sir Tom Scholar, the head of the relevant body in terms of forfeiture of honours, has said that we need to wait until the end of the inquiry to look at those kind of things, but it should certainly be looked at.”
A public inquiry into the scandal is ongoing.
