Murder At The Post Office
What is Murder at the Post Office about?
In 2010, the Yorkshire village of Melsonby was left in disbelief when postmistress Diana Garbutt was found murdered in the flat above the post office she ran with her husband, Robin.
Robin claimed she’d been the victim of a violent intruder, who had broken into their home and business in an armed robbery.
But as detectives probed further, suspicion began to fall on him. Prosecutors claimed that behind the façade of a happy marriage lay deep marital and financial turmoil, with £16,000 missing from the safe. While there was no physical evidence connecting him to the crime, they argued that when Diana confronted Robin over the missing money, he killed her.
In 2011, Robin Garbutt was sentenced to life in prison. Robin has always maintained his innocence and over the last 14 years has unsuccessfully appealed his conviction three times.
But with one of the central pillars of the prosecution coming from the Horizon system — the technology now at the centre of the Post Office scandal — Robin and his legal team are once again attempting to clear his name.
Directed by Louise Malkinson, this series meticulously re-examines the case, featuring voices on both sides: those convinced Robin was wrongfully convicted and others who are unsure and still suspect he is guilty.
In a series that is gripping, persistent and emotionally charged, one central, burning question remains: is Robin Garbutt a cold-blooded killer, or a victim of the largest miscarriage of justice in British history?
Hayley Reynolds, Head of Documentary Commissioning at Sky said: “Murder at the Post Office is a forensic piece of storytelling that examines the evidence, investigation, and unanswered questions still debated around the murder of Diana Garbutt. By sensitively drawing on a range of perspectives, it asks confronting questions about whether justice has been served.”
What have the creators said about the documentary?
The series is a Lightbox production, commissioned for Sky Documentaries. The series director is Louise Malkinson, the executive producers for Lightbox are Suzanne Lavery, Simon Chinn, and Jonathan Chinn for Lightbox. It was produced by Jules Hawkins and Anita Stewart for Lightbox. The executive producers for Sky are Bruce Fletcher and Ziyaad Desai.
Suzanne Lavery, Creative Director of Lightbox said: “Producing Murder at the Post Office for Sky Documentaries, we were always mindful that at the heart of this story is the tragic loss of Diana Garbutt.
“Our aim was to approach her case with care while examining the questions that remain. With her husband’s conviction shaped in part by the now-discredited Horizon system, it felt essential to look again at what happened and whether justice was truly served.”
What was the Post Office Scandal and how does it tie to this case?
From the late 1990s, the UK Post Office began rolling out Horizon – a computer system aimed to help with their accounting.
Considered cutting edge and 100% accurate, the system in fact contained significant bugs, leading to a string of unexplained monetary shortfalls at Post Office branches across the company.
Instead of questioning the Horizon software, the postmasters who ran the Post Office branches were blamed for any monetary shortfall – when in fact no money had gone missing at all. They were then held liable for the deficit, either being forced to repay it, or being prosecuted for theft and/or fraud.
Over the course of the scandal, more than 700 postmasters and sub-postmasters were charged for theft, before it was finally uncovered. In 2019, a High Court Case ruled that Horizon was at fault, and since then a majority of convictions have been overturned. A public inquiry is still ongoing.
As part of his latest appeal efforts, Robin Garbutt claims that the missing money may have been caused by the glitches in the Horizon system. Reports from the Horizon software were used as a key piece of evidence in his initial trial and subsequent conviction.
While those who believe his guilt have accused him of “piggybacking” on the scandal to hide his crimes, others have argued that the scandal is enough to throw his conviction into doubt.
Where and when can I watch Murder at the Post Office?
Murder at the Post Office is available to watch from December 29th.
It will be available on Sky Documentaries, and to stream on NOW.
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