Post Office pledges to help 700 workers affected by Horizon scandal

Karen Wilson, widow of postmaster Julian Wilson who died in 2016, holds a photograph of her husband outside the Royal Courts of Justice, London, after his conviction was overturned by the Court of Appeal.

Between 2000 and 2014, more than 700 sub-postmasters and sub-postmistresses were falsely prosecuted based on information from the Horizon computer system, installed and maintained by Fujitsu.

In December 2019, a High Court judge ruled the system contained a number of “bugs, errors and defects” and there was a “material risk” that shortfalls in Post Office branch accounts were in fact caused by it.

Since then, many sub-post office workers have had their criminal convictions for theft, fraud and false accounting overturned.

Yesterday, during an inquiry into the scandal, the Post Office apologised for the “suffering and damage” to those affected.

Kate Gallafent KC said the organisation followed the evidence given by affected workers earlier this year, saying it made for “uncomfortable” and “chastening” listening.

It was set out that 255 action points have been identified, 28 of which involve allegations about current and former Post Office staff having to face “inappropriate” pressure.

Ms Gallafent said the Post Office “genuinely wants to investigate those allegations”, urging postmasters to provide more information about them.

She added: “Post Office hopes that its proactive engagement with the points raised by witnesses demonstrates its commitment to hearing the voices of postmasters, engaging with their concerns and doing all it can to resolve them, for the sake of the individual and to ensure such issues do not arise again.”

The inquiry also heard updates on a series of schemes created to compensate victims and others caught up in the scandal.

The Historical Shortfall Scheme, set up for all those not included in the initial group litigation or those who had been convicted of criminal offences relating to their time with the Post Office, was created with an application deadline of November 27 2020.

As of Thursday, offers had been made to 1,976 cases (83 per cent) with payment being made in 1,600 of them, amounting to £34.5 million, the inquiry heard.

In August, chair of the inquiry Sir Wyn Williams said a delay in determining whether to process late compensation applications had been “wholly unacceptable”.

Ms Gallafent said the Post Office “fully accepts the chair’s conclusion that the delay in determining whether outstanding applications received after November 27 2020 should or could have been accepted into the scheme was wholly unacceptable and the Post Office apologises for its part in this delay”.

She said late applicants could join, with 224 waiting to find out, but must explain why they could not join by the deadline.