Delivering nationwide - the Post Office miscarriage of justice
- Alan Hulme
- 8 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Pam Stubbs had been sub-postmistress of Barkham Post Office in Berkshire for 20 years and was respected and loved by the community.
But when unexplained discrepancies started appearing in her accounts, Pam found herself at the heart of the widest miscarriage of justice in English legal history.
Rabble Theatre's Glitch: The True Story of the Post Office Scandal features starts a UK tour at Scarborough’s Stephen Joseph Theatre next month (February 6-7) and tells the story, well-known from TV, newspapers and even Computer Weekly, of the Post Office's brutal treatment of innocent postmasters in small offices across the country.
The play, written by Zannah Kearns and featuring Joanne Howarth, Naveed Khan, Sabina Netherclift and Laura Pennycard on the current tour, was created with the help of sub-postmistresses and masters affected by the events, and by members of the legal process involved in the fight for justice.
Many sub-postmasters were accused of fraudulent behaviour actually caused by a new accounting system. Many were subjected to relentless pressure and criminal charges and some lost everything fighting for their innocence.
The play was commissioned by the University of Reading - the city being the home of Rabble Theatre, whose co-artistic director and co-founder, Toby Davies, said: “As a theatre company, we have the opportunity to speak for those who have been oppressed. Pam refused to be intimidated and her story is one of immense courage, determination and inspiration that we are privileged to amplify.”
After Scarborough, Glitch travels to Theatr Clwyd in Mold (February 16-17); Northern Stage in Newcastle (March 10-11); Harrogate Theatre (March 12-14); Hull Truck Theatre (March 17-18); Heywood Civic Theatre near Rochdale (March 20) and Chester Storyhouse (March 21).