I was the Sub Postmaster at Rillington post office for over 30 years until 2000 when I had to retire owing to ill health.

Before the Horizon computer system was introduced the Post Office would make unannounced morning visits to Post Offices to check that no fraud had been taking place.

On these visits the Sub Postmaster was not allowed to start serving in the post office side of the business until the auditors had satisfied themselves that all was OK.

I was also involved in the Federation of Sub Postmasters, Scarborough Branch. During my time assisting them I was aware of six Post Offices being closed because the Sub Postmaster had been borrowing (stealing) money from the Post Office till. None of these Post Offices were a viable business at the time of their closure.

In 1999 I and my post office assistant attended a training course in Driffield where we were introduced to the new Horizon Computer programme. We were told that the Horizon system was the future way forward for running a Post Office. It has become apparent that many of those prosecuted after the new system was implemented were running very successful businesses and presumably receiving a generous salary for the Post Office side of the business.

Why all these people would choose to risk losing everything by defrauding the Post Office was a mystery until knowledge of glitches in the Horizon system became known.

Those in the Post Office management during these prosecutions and the inspectors they sent out to interrogate Sub Postmasters, some using Gestapo-type tactics telling their bewildered victims they were the only ones and trying to get them to admit their guilt in order to get a reduced, or in some cases, no prison sentence, should be the ones losing their liberty and being made bankrupt.

Is that likely to happen? I hope so, but have my doubts.

Robin Bellfield, Rillington