Paula Vennells breaks down in tears at Post Office inquiry

Former Post Office boss Paula Vennells broke down in tears today as she was quizzed over the suicide of a postmaster who was wrongly accused of fraud.

Ms Vennells, who was chief executive at the company from 2012 to 2019, began her evidence by turning directly to campaigners and victims, sat a short distance away and issued a grovelling apology, saying she was 'very, very sorry'. Former Post Office boss Paula Vennells is seen breaking down in tears as she gave evidence at the Horizon IT inquiry today Martin Griffiths, 59, who took his own life in 2013 after he was falsely suspected of stealing money from a Post Office in Ellesmere Port

Asked by inquiry lawyer Mr Beer if she was asking her team to 'dig' into Mr Griffiths' records, Ms Vennells replied: 'I'm so sorry. I had as Chief Executive to pass this information onto group executives and board colleagues. Vennells added that accusations of blame by Alan Bates after Martin Griffiths's death were 'unhelpful'.

Paula Vennells seen arriving at the post office Enquiry this morning surrounded by police officers and members of the pressPost Office boss Paula Vennells gestures as she gives evidence to the inquiry at Aldwych House, central London She later appeared to become emotional as she discussed reading details of complaints from eight subpostmasters in 2013, which she described as 'very disturbing'.

Mr Griffiths was sacked from his job in July of that year and he was forced to use his parents' life savings to pay off the sum.On September 23, 2013, Mr Griffiths parked his car on the A41 in Ellesmere Port after leaving a note for his loved ones and walked in front of a bus.

'I certainly didn't read into this that the Post Office was conducting criminal investigations to the level that I later understood.'Ms Vennells said: 'I should have known and I should have asked more questions. I and others who also didn't know should have dug much more deeply into this. It was a serious mistake that I didn't understand before 2012 the extent of what this meant.

Vennells continued: 'I would just like to say, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to do this in person, how sorry I am for all that subpostmasters and their families and others who suffered as a result of all of the matters that the inquiry has been looking into for so long.'

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