Post Office lawyer does not ‘recall seeing’ report that might have stopped wrongful conviction

Mr Beer pressed Mr Singh further on the report, saying: “All of this: ‘If I received it, if I read it’ – it’s a big fat lie, isn’t it? And you know it, Mr Singh.”

Responding, Mr Singh said: “Sir, I didn’t come here to lie, I’m at an age where I have come to assist the inquiry. And that’s all.”

The inquiry later heard that Mr Singh had a secretary who had access to his computer.

Mr Singh said: “I wasn’t very good at the technical IT side of things in the printing… All I did is dictate stuff, and she did the rest and she made up the [case] file.”

Mrs Misra was one of more than 800 sub-postmasters and sub-postmistresses wrongfully prosecuted after bugs in the Horizon software caused financial shortfalls to be falsely recorded on their branch accounts.

Mr Singh told the inquiry that had he seen the report, written in Sept 2010 by Gareth Jenkins, he would have made sure it was disclosed in her case.

The document is also damaging for Mr Jenkins, who himself was an expert witness in Mrs Misra’s trial and helped secure her conviction.

Mr Singh went on to offer an apology to Mrs Misra, who attended the hearing in person. He said: “I admit mistakes were made and I’m sorry that Mrs Misra stuffered.

“I am ever so embarrassed to be here that we made those mistakes, put somebody’s liberty at stake, and the loss she suffered, and the damage we caused.”

Mr Beer began his questions by asking whether Mr Singh was involved in the cover-up of his own and the Post Office’s knowledge of the existence of bugs prior to July 2013. “No sir,” Mr Singh responded.

The inquiry was also shown an email sent by Mr Singh to Susan Crichton, who was then the Post Office’s general counsel, in response to a question she asked about whether there were any risks if a decision was made not to pursue a prosecution.

Responding to the email, sent in 2012, Mr Singh wrote: “Decision not to prosecute can not be kept secret ‘everybody will find out what we’re doing’ this may open Post Office to criticism and undermine faith in Horizon.”