Investigator from Post Office Case: I Was Simply Doing My Job

A Post Office investigator, Robert Daily, distanced himself from responsibility in the wrongful conviction of postal manager Peter Holmes, insisting he was simply performing his duties.

Holmes, who ran a Jesmond, Newcastle branch, was convicted in 2010 due to an alleged £46,000 deficit revealed by an audit—which was later overturned in 2021 after Holmes' death in 2015 from a brain tumor.

Holmes was among over 900 prosecuted Post Office workers, whose alleged financial discrepancies, occurring between 1999 and 2015, were attributed to the flawed Horizon computer system. This led to wrongful imprisonments and severe financial consequences for many.

Marion Holmes, Peter's widow, described the destruction of her husband's reputation due to the accusations. She was present to witness Daily's testimony at the inquiry.

Daily, involved with the Post Office since 1979 and an investigation manager since 2005, stated he discovered the system's unreliability too late, and investigations should never have taken place.

Daily, who initiated the 2008 investigation against Holmes, denied any personal fault when confronted. During the investigation, Holmes, a former police officer, dismissed the notion of theft, blaming the unreliable Horizon system, a claim Daily neglected to fully explore.

Daily admitted to a disclosure failure when he couldn't produce evidence of system checks, and confessed he was unaware of other Horizon complaints.

Sir Wyn Williams, chair of the inquiry, challenged Daily's failure to consider Horizon as a fault source, to which Daily struggled to respond, ultimately conceding that Holmes was interviewed and falsely admitted to false accounting.