‘I do wonder what kind of god you worship,’ ex-subpostmaster emailed to Vennells

Paula Vennells gave evidence to the Horizon IT inquiry on Wednesday (Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry/PA)

A former subpostmaster who tried to warn the Post Office about the Horizon IT system emailed Paula Vennells when she was chief executive, saying: “I do wonder what kind of god you worship”.

In 2015, Tim McCormack wrote to Ms Vennells, an ordained priest, warning her that he had “clear and unquestionable evidence of an intermittent bug in Horizon that can and does cause thousands of pounds in losses to subpostmasters”.

The email was forwarded to Post Office lawyer Rodric Williams, who told colleagues that they should ask Mr McCormack to send them the information and also suggested they reply with a standard response, the Horizon IT inquiry heard.

“Generally, my view is that this guy is a bluffer, who keeps expecting us to march to his tune,” Mr Williams wrote in an email to colleagues.

“I don’t think we should do that, but instead respond with a straight bat.”

Giving evidence at the inquiry, Ms Vennells denied sharing the view that Mr McCormack was a bluffer but said she did not recall what she did about the subpostmaster’s email.

The probe heard Mr McCormack sent another message to Ms Vennells in July 2016, saying: “A typical head in the sand reply from the team you have placed too much trust in.

“Once the police investigation is completed it is highly likely, indeed probable, that members of your staff will be sent to prison.

“Your role in this will not escape attention.”

He added: “I do wonder what kind of god you worship.”

Mr McCormack sent a follow-up email in August 2016, in which he told of the “very same” computer error occurring in another branch and said: “You are a complete bunch of idiots playing havoc with the lives of people you have little interest in.”

Asked if she refused to engage with Mr McCormack after this email, Ms Vennells told the inquiry: “I don’t believe so but I think by this stage… Rod Williams had taken on the responses, which I am very sorry about, on behalf of the Post Office.”

She also said during her evidence she regrets that concerns raised by Mr McCormack “took too long to address”.