Emails make up a large part of evidence shown to the inquiry. An email relating to the case of sub-postmaster Jennifer O'Dell is now the focus of questions from Julian Blake.

Susan Crichton says Alison Bolsover was the decision maker in this case, but Crichton adds that she was the most senior recipient of the email.

The email reads: "I wonder if this case is worth pursuing”.

Another email from Rebekah Mantle is shown saying: “Alison and I have agreed not to defend O’Dell’s claim on the basis that it would not be economic to do."

Blake asks Crichton if her evidence is that she was involved because she wanted to bring a degree of proportionality. “That’s my recollection, yes," she says.

Staying in October 2010, Blake turns to an email from Post Office lawyer Jarnail Singh, who has appeared before the inquiry last year. The email relates to Seema Misra being found guilty.

It reads: "It is hoped the case will set a marker to dissuade other defendants from jumping on the Horizon-bashing bandwagon."

Crichton confirms to the inquiry that she received the email, but says she doesn't recall a phone call to discuss matters going forwards after Misra's case had concluded.

Image source, Post Office Inquiry

We are now looking at Susan Crichton's witness statement. Inquiry counsel Julian Blake brings up an email sent to Crichton in October 2010, the first year she was at the Post Office.

It's from Mandy Talbot, who worked in the legal team.

In the email, Talbot says the organisation needs to figure out how to deal with all of the allegations being made about Horizon.

She also mentions an upcoming case against sub-postmistress Seema Misra.

Talbot says that if the prosecution is successful, in future it would be "much easier to deal with" civil claims.

Seema Misra was wrongly jailed while pregnant.

Blake asks Crichton if in 2010, she was aware of issues relating to the Horizon system and litigation challenging the system earlier than 2010.

"I'm trying to recollect when I became aware of it," she says. "I think what I was trying to do was to look at this on a rounded basis."

Counsel to the inquiry, Julian Blake, says he will look broadly chronologically at the bugs, errors and defects, as well as the Second Sight investigation.

These have been major features of the inquiry so far.

The independent forensic accountants Second Sight played a key role in exposing the scandal, finding flaws in the Horizon computer system, which generated false evidence of cash shortfalls at sub-post offices, leading to wrongful prosecutions of sub-postmasters.

Post Office bosses kept insisting their systems were robust.

Inquiry counsel Blake now runs through Susan Crichton's CV. This part can often go on for some time, so bear with us.

"You were the Post Office's first head of legal?" Blake asks.

"It was badged that way," Crichton says. "It was formerly part of the Royal Mail team. This was part of a process of separation from the Royal Mail."

Blake asks Crichton if she had a direct reporting line to chief executive Paula Vennells. Crichton says she did.

Inquiry counsel Blake moves on to ask if Crichton was assigned responsibility for the security team in 2012, to which she replies: "Yes".

She tells Blake she was "starting to think about and look at culture of the Post Office at the time".

"There was a view we should re-look at security and its role within organisation," she says.

"From July 2013 until your departure, you were called general counsel?" Blake asks. "That's correct," Crichton confirm.

Julian Blake, counsel to the inquiry, begins today's evidence from Susan Crichton.

Crichton looks at her witness statement and confirms she signed it and it is true to the best of her knowledge.

As we have seen in many of these proceedings, Crichton makes a few corrections as well - minor grammatical mistakes - to the witness statement.

Before her questioning starts, Crichton takes time to say to "all those that have suffered... that I am truly sorry for the suffering caused to you and your families".

Crichton says she wishes issues were solved more quickly, and hopes giving evidence means "something like this never happens again".

Susan Crichton is now being sworn in. We'll bring you the latest updates as soon as we have them.

To watch along live, click the play button at the top of this page.

Emma Simpson
Business correspondent

Susan Crichton was the Post Office’s general counsel until the autumn of 2013.

By then, forensic investigators Second Sight were uncovering a host of issues, which caused barrister Simon Clarke to become concerned about the conduct of prosecutions.

He advised the Post Office to stop using Fujitsu’s Gareth Jenkins as an expert witness in criminal trials because he had failed to tell the courts about bugs and defects which he knew about.

By now, alarm bells should’ve been ringing about potential wrongful convictions. In another piece of advice on the need to retain important information for potential disclosure, Simon Clarke suggested Post Office had been “shredded”.

Susan Crichton left abruptly not long after.

The big mystery is why did she leave?

Did she sign an NDA on the way out and what did she do about Simon Clarke’s advice?

It’s going to be a fascinating day of evidence covering a key moment in this scandal, as the alleged cover up got well and truly under way.

A public inquiry began in February 2021, external and has heard evidence from Post Office, Fujitsu employees and many others.

It resumed on Tuesday 9 April, with campaigner and former sub-postmaster Alan Bates the first to appear.

This phase of the inquiry is expected to last several weeks, with former Post Office chief executives Paula Vennells and Adam Crozier among those giving evidence.

Today, we’ll hear from Susan Crichton who was the Post Office’s top in-house lawyer until 2013.

Malu Cursino
Live reporter

You’re joining us as the Post Office inquiry reconvenes for another week of hearings at Aldwych House in central London.

As the inquiry continues in its fifth phase, we’re expecting to learn more about what went on behind the scenes between 1999 and 2015, when the Post Office prosecuted hundreds of sub-postmasters because of data from the faulty Horizon IT system.

We’ll be bringing you the latest developments and analysis here on this page, and you can also watch the inquiry live from 09:45 by pressing the Play icon at the top of this page.