Cherry blossoms lose lustre

Toby Jones stars in Mr Bates vs the Post Office, a four-part series currently screening on TVNZ1.

A former UK post office worker whose experience of a software scandal inspired a TV drama says those responsible for the technology debacle should be prosecuted.

The Horizon computer software in Post Offices recorded false losses on branch accounts, which resulted in more than 900 sub-postmasters being wrongly prosecuted between 1999 and 2015.

Alan Bates, who led the campaign for justice, had his story turned into a tv drama, Mr Bates vs The Post Office.

Today will be the first time he has given evidence to the Post Office Horizon IT inquiry, at the start of a phase that will examine governance, redress and how the Post Office and others have responded to the scandal.

Speaking to the BBC, he said: “People have got to be held accountable, I see no sign of it yet – but I think after the inquiry that’s definitely the next stage.

“And then we start looking at prosecutions, not just that as well. Huge bonuses have been paid to people over the years. Some of that should be clawed back.”

His comments came as Kevin Hollinrake, the Post Office minister, said those found to be responsible for the scandal should “go to jail”.

He said the inquiry was “unearthing evidence”, adding: “Where evidence has been established and people should be prosecuted ... I certainly feel, people within the Post Office and possibly further afield should go to jail.

“[The rule of law] has failed, failed these

The Japanese ritual of cherry-blossom viewing should be one of life’s simple pleasures. Once a year in early spring, the delicate flowers bloom for 10 days, prompting a national carnival of outdoor picnicking and daytime drinking.

But the annual celebration has become fraught with anxiety: climate change has made a lottery of the once reliable timing of the cherry blossoms.

Average temperatures across Japan have risen 1.3C in the past century, and tourism businesses are suffering due to the resulting unpredictability of blooming time.

Since 1963, according to the Japan people [sub-postmasters], inexcusably. We do believe in process, that’s the country we are very proud to live in. But if the threshold is met, the evidence is there, criminal prosecutions can be undertaken and those prosecutions, those people, are found guilty, then as I say, I have no reservations in saying people should go to jail.”

It came after Paula Vennells, the former Post Office chief executive, refused to answer questions about the scandal after being seen in public for the first time since the ITV drama aired. Vennells is also set to give evidence to the inquiry in the coming weeks.

There is mounting evidence suggesting bosses at the Post Office and Fujitsu were aware of flaws in the Horizon system but continued to pursue prosecutions of sub-postmasters.

Speaking to The Telegraph, Lee Castleton, one of the sub-postmasters wrongly convicted, said he “would be nervous” about Bates’ appearance at the inquiry if he was a former Post Office executive such as Vennells.

Post Office lawyers lost a landmark court case against Bates and 555 sub-postmasters in 2019.

The postmasters claimed Horizon was faulty and to blame for the financial discrepancies, while the Post Office said this was not possible.

Two people have already been interviewed under caution by the Metropolitan Police in relation to the scandal. A Met Police spokesman said its investigation is exploring potential offences of perjury and perverting the course of justice arising out of prosecutions carried out by the Post Office. –

Meteorological Agency (JMA), the average date of blooming has advanced by 1.2 days every 10 years.

Last year the trees bloomed in Tokyo on March 14, 10 days earlier than the average, leaving travel agencies facing mass cancellations of tours.

This year, contrary to JMA forecasts, they came five days late, on March 29.

“The buds have to be exposed to a cold winter, or they may not bloom,” said Daisuke Sasano of the JMA.

“So if warming continues the start of the cherry blossoms may end up being delayed, or they may not come to a full bloom properly, or they may not bloom at all.” –