BuzzB - I have read the report, thank you, and with some interest as Francis was a friend as well as a talented colleague with whom I was privileged to fly.
I would point out that despite claiming "No one is suggesting the e mails themselves were illegal", you, yourself have claimed that the system is just that: "this operator had devised a system ... which was in obvious breach of regulations". Furthermore, you want action: "Heads surely have to roll to make clear that this behaviour will not be tolerated". I reiterate - the system, as intended, is not in breach of regulations and indeed is a great deal better than some alternatives with which I have been presented.
I cannot speak to the other fleets - I can only state that under the system being discussed I was not once presented with an aircraft that exhibited any undocumented defect. I therefore reiterate: any system can be abused. I do not suggest this is the case here; it is simply a fact.