A former Post Office investigator from Perth fought back tears as he said sorry for his part in the Horizon scandal.
Raymond Grant – rebuked at The Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry on Wednesday over his two-page witness statement – made a personal statement after his evidence concluded.
More than 700 UK sub-postmasters who used the faulty Fujitsu machines were prosecuted for theft and false accounting between 2000 and 2014.
Their ordeal has been brought to a global audience this year as a result of the hit ITV series Mr Bates vs The Post Office.
‘They deceived me’
Mr Grant, who now works for the Salvation Army, took aim at Post Office chiefs as he delivered his apology.
He said: “The outcome of this inquiry is a very, very sorry state of the affairs.
“The Post Office let postmasters down.
“They let the staff they employed down by being less than open and honest with information that should’ve been shared and wasn’t shared.
“Ultimately, results have led to significant upset and significant difficulties for people who were left behind.
“I can say this because I’ve got no link with the Post Office anymore.
“They deceived me and they’ve deceived a lot more people. For my part in it, I’m humbly sorry.
“I just hope that people learn from this and are more honest in the future in affecting other people’s lives. Thank you.”
Forced to give evidence
Just hours earlier the former postman apologised to Jason Beer KC – counsel for The Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry – for the shortness of his witness statement which he blamed on work commitments over Christmas.
He also claimed trying to buy a house meant he was unable to devote time to reading 400-odd pages of documents relating to his time as a senior investigation manager.
It then emerged Mr Grant, who worked for Royal Mail and Post Office for nearly three decades for his 2009 departure, was forced to give evidence after a visit at home from Sheriff Officers under Section 21 of the Inquiries Act 2005.
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