Ex-Post Office boss blamed ‘subbies with their hand in the till’ for Horizon shortfalls

The Post Office’s former managing director blamed “subbies with their hand in the till” for Horizon shortfalls. In an email sent in October 2009 to Mary Fagan, former corporate affairs director of the Royal Mail, Alan Cook said: “My instincts tell me that, in a recession, subbies with their hand in the till choose to blame the technology when they are found to be short of cash.” The pair were discussing increasing press interest about concerns on the accuracy of the Horizon accountancy software. Asked why it was his instinct to think that sub-postmasters were stealing, Mr Cook, who oversaw 160 prosecutions during his tenure from March 2006 to January 2010, told the inquiry: “Well that was an expression I will regret for the rest of my life. “It is an inappropriate thing to put in an email, not in line with my view of sub-postmasters.” #PostOffice #Subbies #Horizon Continue getting updates on this story: