'They feel like crocodile tears' – wrongly jailed sub-postmistress questions Paula Vennells' emotional evidence
Paula Vennells' emotional appearance before Horizon Inquiry was a case of "crocodile tears", according to a former sub-postmistress wrongly jailed as part of the scandal.
The past two days has seen the former Post Office chief executive giving evidence over what she knew about the wrongful prosecutions of more than 900 sub-postmasters – in what is likely the country's biggest ever miscarriage of justice.
One of those whose lives were ruined is Rubbina Shaheen.
Mrs Shaheen was jailed for 12 months in 2010 after a computer glitch caused a £40,000 shortfall in accounts at Greenfields Post Office in Shrewsbury.
Her conviction was quashed by the Court of Appeal after the Post Office's computer database, known as Horizon, was found to be faulty.
This week has seen the former Post Office chief executive, Paula Vennells, giving evidence to the inquiry examining the scandal.
During her first day of evidence she repeatedly broke down in tears as she insisted she had been "misled" by staff about the safety of the prosecutions.
Speaking from her home in Brockton, with her husband Mohamed, Mrs Shaheen, said she did not believe Vennells' apology was genuine – and accused her of crocodile tears over her emotional performance.
She said: "I was just angry. Especially when she apologised. There was no sympathy behind it, no heartfelt sympathy.
