[baybal2]

> How do you make this mistake almost 1000 times over 14 years before someone suspects the system data may not be quite right?

It's very much a case of assumed infallibility of "scientific evidence," which in this case were computer records.

It's also very much a case of UK judges greatly, greatly disregarding the process, which fully reneges on their oath.

Country's legal system can't function if you have judges who can lightheadedly throw out the process out of the window 1000 times over 14 year.

[JetSetWilly]

> It's very much a case of assumed infallibility of "scientific evidence," which in this case were computer records.

I wonder if any of the prosecuted were in Scotland?

In Scots Law there's a fundamental rule of Corroboration: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corroboration_in_Scots_law

There must be two source of independent evidence for someone to be convicted of a crime. I'll be interested to see (if there's genuinely no corroborating evidence beyond the computer records) how many prosecutions went ahead north of the border.

[g_p]

Given this appeal took place in England (and not in the Supreme Court), it was all English verdicts which were overturned as I understand.

The requirement for corroboration in such a situation would probably be met by having someone "speak to" the digital evidence and audit trail.

For example, if you have CCTV evidence, the CCTV is one piece of evidence, and it would be corroborated by a witness statement of the victim identifying them from the CCTV.

Corroboration is an important and useful safeguard, but I don't think it would necessarily have outright prevented this. Perhaps it would - maybe it would have raised the bar on scrutiny of the evidence, by there being a general higher expectation?

[JetSetWilly]

Hmn possibly. I suppose I am interested to see if there is a practical difference because there's some debate about whether corroboration is a good thing to have or not, when you can have one piece of evidence (like DNA evidence) which is very high certainty.

I'd expect there was prosecutions north of the border seeing as the post office is UK-wide so be good to see how they went.