Horizon Inquiry

Post Office ‘misled courts’ over jailed sub-postmaster

A Post Office executive was told the organisation had “misled the courts” in the case of a conviction of a sub-postmaster, six years before his name was cleared.

Angela van den Bogerd was informed in January 2015 that the Post Office had “materially misled” the courts in prosecuting Carl Page, according to a recording obtained by ITV News. The recording was made of a phone call in January 2015, between Ms Van Den Bogerd, the then-head of partnerships at the Post Office, and Second Sight investigator Ron Warmington just one month before she gave evidence to Parliament.

Mr Page, from Staffordshire, was sentenced to two years in prison in 2007 after the Post Office accused him of stealing between £94,000 and £282,000 from the company.

Despite maintaining his evidence, like many, Mr Page pleaded guilty to theft in the hope of avoiding a longer sentence.

Yet in the unearthed recording, forensic accountant Mr Warmington is heard telling Ms Van Den Bogerd: “I know the whole case intimately … I’ve studied it in minute detail … I think that the Post Office got this wrong right up front. I think there was no theft of £282,000.”

In the call, Ms Van Den Bogerd later tells Mr Warmington she thinks “we need to take another look at this”. In the recording Mr Warmington then said: “I think you do. And … at the moment, I mean, horrific as it is, I’ll, I’ll give it to you with both barrels.

I think all three trials were materially misled by Post Office … in the witness statements.”

However, Mr Page heard nothing from Ms Van Den Bogerd or anyone at the Post Office subsequently.

His conviction was not overturned for another six years. Solicitors for Mr Page told ITV he reserves comment until Ms Van Den Bogerd gives evidence to the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry on April 25, but added he would be observing “with keen interest”.

Ms Van Den Bogerd was portrayed in the ITV drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office by actor Katherine Kelly.