Scottish Post Office Horizon enforcer refuses to apologise for 'ruining lives'

dailyrecord.co.uk:

This is the top enforcer for the Post Office in Scotland and the man behind a series of wrongful convictions under the Horizon IT scandal.

Robert Daily was chief investigator in Scotland when over 100 sub-postmasters were prosecuted for embezzlement. But the man who put victims through hell, seized jewellery and received bonuses based on the number of ­convictions refused to apologise when confronted by the Sunday Mail.Some victims have now called on Daily – still employed by the Post Office – to return the money he received after they were falsely accused.

Gemma McGowan, daughter of late Edinburgh subpostmistress Fiona McGowan, said: “This man ­definitely contributed to the pain and devastation caused to all those charged or convicted. “It makes me so angry to now learn they were given bonuses for all the work they were doing to accuse innocent people of stealing.“That was obviously an incentive.”Daily gave evidence last month at the Post Office inquiry on two cases of wrongful conviction – North Uist subpostmaster William Quarm and Newcastle sub-postmaster Peter Holmes.He said he was “just doing my job” and admitted to having exceeded targets for recovering “stolen” cash.He said his bonuses could “technically” be linked to how much cash he recovered but insisted they were paid regardless.

But fellow investigator Gary Thomas said there were “bonus ­objectives” based on ­prosecutions and recovery of funds. At the inquiry Daily admitted he used his wife’s qualifications in his CV when applying for an internal role in 2008.The Sunday Mail also revealed he seized jewellery from a couple accused of stealing £56,000, saying he was taking it under the Proceeds of Crime Act.