Latest news with #subpostmasters
The Independent
9 hours ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry to publish first tranche of final report in July
The inquiry into the Horizon IT scandal that led to the wrongful convictions of hundreds of Post Office workers will publish the first tranche of its final report next month. The first volume is to focus on compensation as well as the devastating impact on the lives of victims, and will be released on July 8. Sir Wyn Williams, the retired judge who is chairing the probe, is expected to make a public statement following its publication. The inquiry was established in 2020 to ensure there was a 'public summary of the failings which occurred with the Horizon IT system at the Post Office'. It was converted into a statutory inquiry, giving its chair greater powers to compel witnesses and documents, in 2021. Widely considered one of Britain's biggest miscarriages of justice, the scandal saw subpostmasters prosecuted for stealing after faulty computer software made it seem like money was missing from their branches. Many were sent to prison, shunned by their communities, and faced financial ruin. The report will be available to read on the inquiry's website at noon, and after this it will be laid before Parliament in line with Section 26 of the Inquiries Act 2005. Core participants to the probe, which include affected subpostmasters, will receive a copy of the report in advance.
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry to publish first tranche of final report in July
The inquiry into the Horizon IT scandal that led to the wrongful convictions of hundreds of Post Office workers will publish the first tranche of its final report next month. The first volume is to focus on compensation as well as the devastating impact on the lives of victims, and will be released on July 8. Sir Wyn Williams, the retired judge who is chairing the probe, is expected to make a public statement following its publication. The inquiry was established in 2020 to ensure there was a 'public summary of the failings which occurred with the Horizon IT system at the Post Office'. It was converted into a statutory inquiry, giving its chair greater powers to compel witnesses and documents, in 2021. Widely considered one of Britain's biggest miscarriages of justice, the scandal saw subpostmasters prosecuted for stealing after faulty computer software made it seem like money was missing from their branches. Many were sent to prison, shunned by their communities, and faced financial ruin. The report will be available to read on the inquiry's website at noon, and after this it will be laid before Parliament in line with Section 26 of the Inquiries Act 2005. Core participants to the probe, which include affected subpostmasters, will receive a copy of the report in advance.
Sky News
2 days ago
- Sky News
Crucial evidence in Post Office scandal found in garage of retired computer expert after 30 years
A damning report into the faulty Post Office IT system that proceeded Horizon has been unearthed after nearly 30 years - and it could help overturn criminal convictions. The document, known about by the Post Office in 1998, is described as "hugely significant" and a "fundamental piece of evidence" and was found in a garage by a retired computer expert. Capture was a piece of accounting software, likely to have caused errors, used in more than 2,000 branches between 1992 and 1999. It came before the infamous faulty Horizon software scandal, which saw hundreds of sub postmasters wrongfully convicted between 1999 and 2015. 1:49 The 'lost long' Capture documents were discovered in a garage by a retired computer expert who came forward after a Sky News report into the case of Patricia Owen, a convicted sub postmistress who used the software. Adrian Montagu was supposed to be a key witness for Pat's defence at her trial in 1998 but her family always believed he had never turned up, despite his computer "just sitting there" in court. Mr Montagu, however, insists he did attend. He describes being in the courtroom and adds that "at some point into the trial" he was stood down by the barrister for Mrs Owen with "no reason" given. Sky News has seen contemporaneous notes proving Mr Montagu did go to Canterbury Crown Court for the first one or two days of the trial in June 1998. "I went to the court and I set up a computer with a big old screen," he says. "I remember being there, I remember the judge introducing everybody very properly…but the barrister in question for the defence, he went along and said 'I am not going to need you so you don't need to be here any more'. "I wasn't asked back." Sky News has reached out to the barrister in Pat Owen's case who said he had no recollection of it. 'An accident waiting to happen' The report, commissioned by the defence and written by Adrian Montagu and his colleague, describes Capture as "an accident waiting to happen", and "totally discredited". It concludes that "reasonable doubt exists as to whether any criminal offence has taken place". It also states that the software "is quite capable of producing absurd gibberish", and describes "several insidious faults…which would not be necessarily apparent to the user". All of which produced "arithmetical or accounting errors". Sky News has also seen documents suggesting the jury in Pat Owen's case may never have seen the report. What is clear is that they did not hear evidence from its author including his planned "demonstration" of how Capture could produce accounting errors. Pat Owen was convicted of stealing from her Post Office branch in 1998 and given a suspended prison sentence. Her family describe how it "wrecked" her life, contributing towards her ill health, and she died in 2003 before the wider Post Office scandal came to light. Her daughter Juliet said her mother fought with "everything she could". "To know that in the background there was Adrian with this (report) that would have changed everything, not just for mum but for every Capture victim after that, I think is shocking and really upsetting - really, really upsetting." The report itself was served on the Post Office lawyers - who continued to prosecute sub postmasters in the months and years after Pat Owen's trial. 'My blood is boiling' 3:09 Steve Marston, who used the Capture software in his branch, was one of them - he was convicted of stealing nearly £80,000 in September 1998. His prosecution took place four months after the Capture report had been served on the Post Office. Steve says he was persuaded to plead guilty with the "threat of jail" hanging over him and received a suspended sentence. He describes the discovery of the report as "incredible" and says his "blood is boiling" and he feels "betrayed". "So they knew that the software was faulty?," he says. "It's in black and white isn't it? And yet they still pressed on doing what they did. "They used Capture evidence … as the evidence to get me to plead guilty to avoid jail. "They kept telling us it was safe…They knew the software should never have been used in 1998, didn't they?" Steve says his family's lives were destroyed and the knowledge of this report could have "changed everything". He says he would have fought the case "instead of giving in". "How dare they. And no doubt I certainly wasn't the last one…And yet they knew they were convicting people with faulty software, faulty computers." The report is now with the Criminal Cases Review Commission, the body investigating potential miscarriages of justice, which is currently looking into 28 Capture cases. A fundamental piece of evidence Neil Hudgell, the lawyer representing more than 100 victims, describes the report as "hugely significant", "seismic" and a "fundamental piece of evidence". "I'm as confident as I can be that this is a good day for families like Steve Marston and Mrs Owen's family," he says. "I think (the documents) could be very pivotal in delivering the exoneration that they very badly deserve." He also added that "there's absolutely no doubt" that the "entire contents" of the "damning" report "was under the noses of the Post Office at a very early stage". He describes it as a "massive missed opportunity" and "early red flag" for the Post Office which went on to prosecute hundreds who used Horizon in the years that followed. "It is a continuation of a theme that obviously has rolled out over the subsequent 20 plus years in relation to Horizon," he says. "...if this had seen the light of day in its proper sense, and poor Mrs Owen had not been convicted, the domino effect of what followed may not have happened." What the Post Office said Sky News approached the former Chief Executive of the Post Office during the Capture years, John Roberts, who said: "I can't recall any discussion at my level, or that of the board, about Capture at any time while I was CEO." A statement from the Post Office said: "We have been very concerned about the reported problems relating to the use of the Capture software and are sincerely sorry for past failings that have caused suffering to postmasters. "We are determined that past wrongs are put right and are continuing to support the government's work and fully co-operating with the Criminal Cases Review Commission as it investigates several cases which may be Capture related." A Department for Business and Trade spokesperson said: "Postmasters including Patricia Owen endured immeasurable suffering, and we continue to listen to those who have been sharing their stories on the Capture system. "Government officials met with postmasters recently as part of our commitment to develop an effective and fair redress process for those affected by Capture, and we will continue to keep them updated."
Daily Mail
12-06-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Subpostmistress remembers 'terror' of supporting her young children during the Horizon IT scandal on new Mail podcast
Former subpostmistress Pamela Church revealed she suffered panic attacks and felt as though she'd 'let everyone down' after going bankrupt due to the Horizon IT scandal on a new Mail podcast. On the latest episode of 'The Apple & The Tree', Pamela, 47 told daughter Rebekah Foot, 28, of her experience losing everything after becoming embroiled in what is seen as the largest miscarriage of justice in British history. The podcast, hosted by the Reverend Richard Coles, brings together parents and their adult children to answer questions about their shared family history. The Horizon IT scandal was a faulty Post Office computer system that falsely showed financial shortfalls at branches across the country. The fault led to over 700 subpostmasters being wrongfully prosecuted and convicted for theft and fraud between 1999 and 2015. 'I remember being seen as a pillar of the community', Pamela said. 'But once all that happened, everyone thought we were dodgy. We were shut down in 2015. 'It bankrupted me. I tried to keep as much of it away from my children as possible, but I started suffering really bad panic attacks.' The mother-of-three recounted collapsing in the toilet in front of her young daughter due to the stress of being pursued for tens of thousands of pounds. The technical fault potentially affected as many as 25,000 postmasters, yet fewer than 2,500 have been compensated. She told the podcast: 'It got to a really bad point where I could not carry on. I felt like I was a massive letdown. 'I'd had this massive panic attack – I was in the bathroom. My young daughter saw me on the floor and then took herself to school. 'My daughter told the school's receptionist: 'Mummy's poorly, she's not well and I can't live without her. 'After that, I went to the doctors, and they proscribed me fluoxetine. It stopped the panic attacks, and I started seeing a future again. 'But everything had been taken away: I was bankrupt, I had no money, no business – at least I still had my children and my partner. They set me up to go forward.' Pamela remembered noticing something was wrong when she ran both the old and new bookkeeping systems at her north Wales Post Office and discrepancies of thousands of pounds appeared. Despite her protests, the Post Office threatened to seize her business unless she made up the shortfall. 'My first panic attack, £10,000 had gone missing out of the Post Office and they phoned me up and told me I had to pay it. 'They said if I didn't, they'd take my business away from me. I couldn't breathe. I felt like I was going to die. 'I collapsed with my daughter Evie in my arms. When I woke up, I saw my daughter playing in a pool of my blood.' The truth about the scandal emerged through persistent legal action by subpostmasters who took the first High Court case against the Post Office in 2019, securing a £43 million settlement. It gained widespread public attention in January 2024 after the ITV drama 'Mr Bates vs The Post Office' brought the issue to millions of viewers. Pamela said she hasn't yet completed all the paperwork for her compensation as she 'doesn't want to bring back' memories of the scandal. 'I am in an alright sort of place at the moment', she said. 'I don't want to bring it back. But I know that if I want my claim to go forward, I have to finish all this paperwork. I will do it, just in my own time.' To listen to the full episode, where Pamela remembers her Post Office being robbed at gunpoint when she was five months pregnant, search for 'The Apple & The Tree' now, wherever you get your podcasts.
BBC News
09-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Post Office Horizon IT scandal compensation hits £1bn
More than a billion pounds has now been paid out in compensation to victims of the Post Office Horizon IT scandal, according to new government figures.A total of £1.039bn has been awarded to just over 7,300 sub-postmasters across all four redress schemes, the latest monthly figures Office Minister Gareth Thomas said: "We are settling cases every day and getting compensation out more quickly for the most complex cases, but the job isn't done until every postmaster has received fair and just redress."More than 4,000 people have been told they are eligible for compensation. But the schemes they need to access to get it can be long-winded and broken down how they work. What are the main compensation schemes? There isn't a single compensation scheme for sub-postmasters to apply to, and individual eligibility will depend on the particular circumstances of an individual's four main schemes are aimed at groups of victims who had different experiences of the scandal. They are explained in more detail in the following sections. Which scheme is available to Alan Bates and others depicted in the ITV drama? Alan Bates led a group of 555 sub-postmasters in a landmark court case against the Post Office, which came to wider public attention after it was depicted in an ITV the cohort secured a £42.5m settlement in 2019, the huge costs of going to the High Court meant each claimant received a relatively low compensation pay-out at the end of Group Litigation Order (GLO) scheme was set up to ensure they received extra money to reflect the gravity of their situations. The scheme is funded and managed by the of January 2024, people eligible for this scheme "will receive at least £75,000 in compensation upfront".The government estimates around two thirds will turn that offer down and push for more. In those cases, the government will award postmasters 80% of the initial offer made to 9 September, Labour said it will set a target of making an offer to 90% of sub-postmasters who have submitted a full claim within 40 of 31 January, £128m has been paid under the scheme, including interim the 555 members of the GLO group, 63 had criminal convictions and therefore are not eligible for this scheme but they are eligible for other compensation - depending on how their convictions are they are quashed by the court, they can apply to the Overturned Convictions Scheme. If they are overturned under legislation - the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Act 2024 which became law in May - they can go to the newer Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme. What compensation is there for people with overturned convictions? There have been 983 convictions - 700 of which were privately initiated by the Post Office - linked to the faulty Horizon IT whose convictions are quashed can apply to the Overturned Convictions Scheme, whether or not they are in the GLO group. It is this scheme that the government has taken over responsibility for from the Post Office.A total of 111 people have had their convictions overturned as of 31 when the government's promised law to overturn all convictions linked to the scandal becomes a reality, hundreds more people will be whose convictions are overturned can choose to take a fast-tracked £600,000 settlement. Or they can enter into negotiations if they feel they are entitled to eligible people are entitled to an "interim" payment while their final settlements are processed. The government has provided funding to the Post Office for these those people whose conviction is overturned through the new law, they can register for the Horizon Convictions Redress will entitle them to an initial £200,000 interim payment. They can then decide to accept £600,000 or have their case fully of 31 January, external, £65m has been paid out under this scheme including further interim latest figures show that out of 111 eligible claimants in the OCS scheme, 82 claims for full and final settlements have been made with 66 paid out.A further seven have received offers. The remaining nine are awaiting offers from Post Office Ltd. More on the Post Office scandal Why were hundreds of Post Office workers prosecuted?PM backs calls to knight Post Office campaignerPost Office paid Fujitsu £95m to extend HorizonCan scheme to quash Post Office convictions work? What about sub-postmasters who weren't convicted? The Post Office scandal goes far beyond the original GLO court case and the people who wound up with criminal prosecution, some sub-postmasters poured their own savings into their businesses to make up losses that were incorrectly calculated by the computer September, the Labour government announced a new independent appeals process system called the Horizon Shortfall Scheme intended for those sub-postmasters who weren't convicted or part of the GLO court means they can appeal if they feel their financial settlement did not reflect the true extent of their losses and is administered by the Post Office but the independent appeals process will be overseen by the Department for Business. Post Office Minister Gareth Thomas said he was still considering whether to transfer this scheme to the government as has received more than 4,665 eligible claims so far, according to data, external from the Department for Business and Trade. How many people are eligible for compensation overall? The number of people eligible for one of the three main schemes stands at over 4,000 - and the government has said new potential victims are still coming is unclear how many of them will end up receiving payments, and the processes - which have been criticised by campaigners for being too slow - can sometimes take several years. What about people who died before receiving compensation? On 10 January 2024, the then Post Office Minister Kevin Hollinrake told the Commons the families of the 60 people who died before receiving any compensation would be able to apply for it in their place. How much compensation has been paid out so far? As of 2 June 2025, approximately £1.039bn has been awarded to just over 7,300 sub-postmasters across all four redress schemes. That total breaks down as:Horizon Shortfall Scheme - £559mGroup Litigation Order Scheme - £167mOverturned Convictions Scheme -£68mHorizon Convictions Redress Scheme - £245mThe amount an individual sub-postmaster receives can vary greatly depending on the circumstances of their Chris Hodges, chair of the the independent Horizon Compensation Advisory Board, told the BBC compensation payments that have been made so far range from £10,000 to "well over £1m".The government has not provided an estimate for how much compensation will be paid out in total, but it will inevitably run into the hundreds of millions on top of what has already been paid.
