The Great Post Office Scandal

The Great Post Office Scandal is the extraordinary story behind the recent ITV drama series Mr Bates vs The Post Office. This gripping page-turner recounts how thousands of subpostmasters were accused of theft and false accounting on the back of evidence from Horizon, the flawed computer system designed by Fujitsu, and how a group of them, led by Alan Bates, took their fight to the High Court. Their eventual victory in court vindicated their claims about the defects of the software and exposed the heavy handed attempts by the Post Office to suppress them. The book also chronicles how successive senior managers, business leaders, lawyers, civil servants and Government ministers, at best failed to expose the injustice or, even worse, sought to cover it up, resulting in one of the largest miscarriages of justice in UK history. The author, Nick Wallis, is a journalist and broadcaster who has been reporting on the scandal for over ten years and who acted as script consultant on Mr Bates vs The Post Office, the ITV drama that brought the affair into the national consciousness. As the public inquiry reaches its climax, and senior figures such as Paula Vennells come to be questioned, The Great Post Office Scandal reveals the full scale of what happened and will leave you enraged at how so many of our trusted institutions allowed the saga to go on for nearly a quarter of a century, shattering the lives of thousands of innocent people. He has subsequently made two Panoramas, a Radio 4 series, and raised thousands of pounds to crowdfund his own court reporting for the Post Office Trial website. Nick has now written the first definitive account of the scandal. He takes us from the ill-fated deal that brought Horizon into existence, through years of half-truths and obstruction, to the tearful scenes at the Court of Appeal this year. He exposes the secrecy and mistrust at the heart of the story, and the impact that had on the victims. He also chronicles how this story’s hero, Alan Bates, started as a lone public voice of dissent but went on to beat the Post Office - against overwhelming odds – at two of the highest courts in the land and win some redress for the victims. “An extraordinary journalistic exposé of a huge miscarriage of justice.” Ian Hislop, Editor, Private Eye “The definitive account of the scandal - from the journalist who pursued every twist and turn.” Mishal Husain, Broadcaster “Beautifully written. Full of heart rending detail, clarity and insight.” Patrick Spence, Creative Director, ITV Studios “Nick has come to understand the ultimately destructive management culture which pervaded the Post Office from the top down.” Tom Hedges, former Subpostmaster “A tale brilliantly told by Nick Wallis, who has dedicated years of work to establishing what happened, why it happened and calling those responsible to account. I urge you to read it.” Rev Richard Coles, Presenter “Nick’s narrative has the power of a great thriller as he lays bare the lies and deceit that has ruined so many lives.” Dame Joan Bakewell, Journalist "we can expect to see copies of The Great Post Office Scandal within easy reach of every lawyer and reporter at the hearing." Joshua Rozenberg, Legal Commentator "the story of a long-running scandal told with empathy and compassion while deftly explaining the complex, technical issues." Sam Tobin, The Law Society Gazette "Nick Wallis has written what feels like the most importa