A Post Office investigator described as having a “heavy footprint” in the Horizon IT scandal will give evidence today at the inquiry’s first hearing of the year.

Stephen Bradshaw was involved in the criminal investigation of nine sub-postmasters, including Lisa Brennan, a former counter clerk at a post office in Huyton, near Liverpool, who was falsely accused of stealing £3,000 in 2003.

His evidence will form part of phase four of the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry which began in July last year and is looking at the action that was taken against subpostmasters including audits, investigations and criminal proceedings.

Lead counsel to the inquiry Jason Beer KC previously described Mr Bradshaw as having a “heavy footprint” in the scandal. Mr Bradshaw was due to answer questions in November, but disclosure failings from the Post Office meant the hearing was delayed until Thursday.

The statutory inquiry, which began in 2021 and is chaired by retired judge Sir Wyn Williams, has previously looked at the human impact of the scandal, the Horizon system roll-out and the operating of the system, and is now probing the action taken against subpostmasters.

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