PO chief’s apology for email refused

A former subpostmistress who was wrongly jailed while pregnant has refused to accept the apology of a Post Office managing director who appeared to celebrate her conviction.

David Smith told the Horizon IT Inquiry he understood the “anger and upset” and acknowledged the “substantial distress” he caused after telling Post Office staff that the result of Seema Misra’s trial was “brilliant news”.

Speaking in the witness box at the inquiry yesterday, Mr Smith said that “looking through the 2024 lens” he could see his email was “poorly thought through”.

But Mrs Misra told the BBC he needed to apologise to her son after she was jailed on his tenth birthday.

She said: “How can I accept the apology? I was eight weeks pregnant they need to apologise to my youngest son. It was terrible. I haven’t accepted the apologies.”

Mrs Misra began running a post office in West Byfleet, Surrey, in 2005, but was suspended in 2008 after being accused of stealing £74,000.

She was handed a 15-month prison sentence on her son’s tenth birthday in November 2010.

Her conviction was quashed by the Court of Appeal in 2021.

After her conviction and sentence, Mr Smith sent an email to managers, including then chief executive Paula Vennells.

His email read: “Brilliant news. Well done. Please pass on my thanks to the team.”

Addressing the email, Mrs Misra told the BBC: “Seeing it again makes me more and more angry.”

In his statement, Mr Smith said: “It was intended to be a congratulatory email to the team, knowing that they had worked hard on the case.

“However, knowing what I do now, it is evident that my email would have caused Seema Misra and her family substantial distress to read, and I would like to apologise for that.”