Former Subpostmaster Sacked by Post Office for Being 'Unmanageable'

Lead campaigner and ex-subpostmaster Alan Bates was sacked by the Post Office because it considered him 'unmanageable', the Horizon IT Inquiry heard today. The probe was shown slides from a presentation about Horizon prepared by a former Post Office manager, which claimed Mr Bates 'clearly struggled with accounting'.

The undated presentation about the system's integrity, created by the organisation's former managing director of branch accounting Dave Smith, read: 'Bates had discrepancies but was dismissed because he became unmanageable. Clearly struggled with accounting, and despite copious support, did not follow instructions.' An internal review of his dismissal concluded he was 'unsuitable' for the role, and said: 'The decision to terminate was not only right - it was the only sensible option.' Mr Bates gave evidence from the witness box today where he said his campaign for justice for subpostmasters was 'something you couldn't put down'. He also claimed that the Post Office spent 23 years 'attempting to discredit and silence me'. Post Office chief executive Nick Read watched as Mr Bates told Aldwych House in London that he was 'quite positive' when the scandal-hit Horizon system came in, but soon became 'frustrated' after finding 'many shortcomings in the system'. The organisation has come under fire since the airing of the ITV drama Mr Bates Vs The Post Office, which put the Horizon IT scandal under the spotligh

Alan Bates Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry Dismissal Campaign Justice Subpostmasters Accounting Integrity Internal Review Scandal Criticism ITV Drama

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