At the recent inquiry into the Post Office scandal, Mike Young, who served as the Chief Operating Officer from 2008 to 2012, faced tough questions. He noticed early on that the prosecution practices related to the Horizon accounting system were unjust. Young expressed concern that subpostmasters had to prove their innocence while relying on Fujitsu’s expertise, the supplier of Horizon.
However, despite his law enforcement background, he did nothing to challenge the unfair practices. Young admitted he didn’t raise alarms when prosecutors placed the burden of proof on subpostmasters who had unexplained shortfalls believed to be linked to computer errors. During the inquiry, he acknowledged that he received emails discussing the lack of solid evidence from subpostmasters regarding discrepancies caused by Horizon. When asked if he felt it was right for subpostmasters to bear this burden, he hesitated and admitted, “I don’t think I did anything.”
Young attributed his inaction to a hectic workload, claiming it was difficult to catch every detail when overwhelmed with 300 to 400 emails daily. Yet, this seems minimal for someone with a background in police work, especially when he voiced discomfort about using Fujitsu employees as expert witnesses in court. He mentioned that having the same company that created the software critique its own data felt wrong.
Although Young had avenues to voice his concerns, he didn’t take them. His boss, former CEO Paula Vennells, had previously trusted his judgement. Young even dismissed early concerns about Horizon’s integrity, referring to a Computer Weekly article as “nonsense.” He later claimed that two calls from the publication in 2011 raised his suspicion about the system. He insisted that he was the one who encouraged an investigation into Horizon, citing frustration with the situation.
Pressure mounted as the Justice for Subpostmasters Alliance, led by Alan Bates, prepared legal action against the Post Office. Following media scrutiny, in 2012, the forensic accountancy firm Second Sight began investigating Horizon. Their findings were alarming, revealing software bugs and other issues. The final report in 2015 concluded that numerous subpostmasters were prosecuted without properly investigating the causes of the alleged losses. This revelation prompted the Criminal Cases Review Commission to investigate potential wrongful prosecutions, leading to many overturned convictions.
The story first came to light in 2009 when Computer Weekly highlighted the struggles of several subpostmasters affected by the flawed Horizon system, marking it as one of the most significant miscarriages of justice in British history.