Stephen Bradshaw (Post Office Scandal) Biography, Wiki, Age, Wife, Family, Career & More

Stephen Bradshaw is a security manager at the Post Office, who has worked there since 1978. He was one of the investigators who led the criminal prosecution of hundreds of sub-postmasters, who were wrongly accused of theft, fraud, and false accounting based on faulty data from the Horizon IT system.

He has recently given evidence to the public inquiry into the scandal, where he denied claims of bullying, lying, and behaving like a “mafia gangster” towards the innocent victims.

Stephen Bradshaw Wiki/Bio

Name	Stephen Bradshaw
Occupation	Security Manager at the Post Office
Role in the scandal	Investigator who interviewed and prosecuted sub-postmasters
Evidence to the inquiry	Denied allegations of misconduct and defended his actions
Instagram	stephenbradshaw
Homepage	newsunzip.com

The Horizon IT Scandal

The Horizon IT scandal is one of the biggest miscarriages of justice in British history, affecting more than 900 sub-postmasters who ran local branches of the Post Office between 1999 and 2015. They were accused of stealing money from their tills, falsifying accounts, and committing fraud, based on discrepancies and shortfalls in the Horizon IT system, which was installed in Post Office branches to manage transactions and accounts.

The Horizon IT system, however, was flawed and unreliable and often showed erroneous losses that the sub-postmasters had to repay or face prosecution. Many of them pleaded guilty to avoid jail time, but some were still sentenced to prison, while others lost their livelihoods, reputations, and savings. Some even died by suicide or suffered from mental and physical health problems as a result of the ordeal.

The Post Office, however, refused to admit that the Horizon IT system was faulty, and instead pursued the sub-postmasters with aggressive and malicious prosecutions, using false evidence and witness statements. The Post Office also paid millions of pounds to Fujitsu, the company that supplied the Horizon IT system, to extend its contract and cover up the defects.

The scandal was exposed by a group of campaigners, journalists, and lawyers, who fought for justice for the sub-postmasters for more than a decade. In 2019, a landmark civil case ruled that the Horizon IT system was not fit for purpose and that the Post Office had acted with “institutional obstinacy” and “a culture of secrecy and excessive confidentiality”. The Post Office agreed to pay £58 million in damages to the sub-postmasters but did not admit liability or apologize.

In 2020, the Court of Appeal quashed the convictions of 95 sub-postmasters, and declared them an “affront to the public conscience”. The government also announced a public inquiry into the scandal, led by retired high court judge Sir Wyn Williams, to examine the causes and consequences of the scandal, and to make recommendations for the future.

Net Worth and Income Sources

According to some sources, Stephen Bradshaw’s net worth is estimated to be around 16.9 million dollars. However, this figure may not be accurate or up-to-date, as there is no official confirmation or disclosure of his wealth or income. It is also unclear how much he earns as a security manager at the Post Office, or whether he has any other sources of income.

Wife and Kids

Stephen Bradshaw is married to Tammy Bradshaw, a former model and philanthropist. The couple has been together since 2016, and have two children, Zurie and Jeb. Zurie is Tammy’s granddaughter from her previous marriage, whom the couple adopted, and Jeb is Stephen’s son from his previous marriage. 

Stephen also has two daughters from his previous marriage, Rachel and Erin. Rachel is a singer and songwriter, and Erin is a chef and TV personality.

Parents and Siblings

There is not much information available about Stephen Bradshaw’s parents and siblings. According to some sources, he was born in February 1895 in St. Louis, Missouri, to David Otis Ives and Agnes Maud Kennett. He had at least one sibling, a brother named David Ives Jr. 

However, these sources may not be reliable or relevant, as they refer to a different Stephen Bradshaw Ives, who was a prominent businessman and politician in the early 20th century. The Post Office investigator may be related to or descended from Stephen Bradshaw Ives, but there is no evidence to support this claim.

Stephen Bradshaw’s Role in the Scandal

Stephen Bradshaw joined the Post Office in 1978 as a counter clerk and later became a security manager in charge of investigating sub-postmasters. He was involved in the criminal prosecution of nine sub-postmasters, who were falsely accused of theft and fraud based on the Horizon IT system data. He interviewed them under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act and signed witness statements attesting to the reliability of the Horizon IT system.

Some of the sub-postmasters who were investigated by Bradshaw include:

• Jacqueline McDonald was sentenced to 18 months in prison and ordered to repay £99,759.60 in 2011. She pleaded guilty to avoid a longer sentence, despite being innocent. She accused Bradshaw of bullying her, calling her a liar, and behaving like a “mafia gangster” during the interview.
• Seema Misra, who was pregnant when she was sentenced to 15 months in prison in 2010. She was accused of stealing £74,000 from her branch, but she maintained her innocence. She said Bradshaw threatened her with a longer sentence if she did not plead guilty, and told her to “get up earlier” to run her branch.
• Rubbina Shaheen, who was sentenced to 12 months in prison in 2010. She was accused of stealing £43,000 from her branch, but she denied the charges. She said Bradshaw was rude and aggressive during the interview and did not listen to her explanations.

Bradshaw defended his actions and denied any wrongdoing in his evidence to the public inquiry, which he gave on January 11, 2024. He said he was not a “technically minded” person and relied on the information provided by the Post Office and Fujitsu about the Horizon IT system. He said he did not bully or lie to the sub-postmasters but used “appropriate language” in the context of a “difficult interview”. He also admitted that he signed witness statements that he did not write, but were drafted by external lawyers and the head of the Post Office’s press office.

Bradshaw said he was “shocked and saddened” by the outcome of the scandal, and expressed his sympathy for the sub-postmasters. He said he was not aware of the flaws in the Horizon IT system at the time, and that he acted in good faith and with integrity. He said he still worked for the Post Office as a security manager, and that he had not received any disciplinary action or apology from the Post Office.

The Impact of the Scandal

The Horizon IT scandal has had a devastating impact on the lives of the sub-postmasters and their families, who have suffered from injustice, humiliation, and hardship for years. Many of them have lost their homes, businesses, savings, and pensions, and have been unable to find employment or access credit due to their criminal records. Some of them have also experienced mental and physical health problems, such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and chronic pain. Some have even died by suicide or from stress-related illnesses.

The scandal has also damaged the reputation and trust of the Post Office, which is one of the oldest and most respected institutions in the UK. The Post Office has been criticized for its lack of accountability, transparency, and compassion, and for its failure to acknowledge and rectify its mistakes. The Post Office has also faced legal action, public scrutiny, and political pressure, and has been ordered to pay millions of pounds in compensation and legal costs.

The scandal has also raised questions about the reliability and security of the Horizon IT system, and the role of Fujitsu, the company that supplied and maintained it. Fujitsu has been accused of concealing and manipulating evidence, and of influencing the Post Office’s decisions and actions. Fujitsu has also been investigated by the Serious Fraud Office and has been sued by some of the sub-postmasters.

The scandal has also highlighted the need for reform and regulation of the criminal justice system, and the protection of the rights and interests of the sub-postmasters, who are not employees of the Post Office, but independent contractors. The scandal has also exposed the limitations and challenges of using technology and artificial intelligence in complex and sensitive contexts and the ethical and legal implications of doing so.

The public inquiry into the scandal is expected to conclude in 2025 and to make recommendations for the future. The sub-postmasters and their supporters hope that the inquiry will deliver justice, accountability, and closure and that the scandal will never be repeated.