Dozens considered suicide over Post Office failings, inquiry finds
Dozens of people contemplated suicide because of their experiences of the Post Office Horizon scandal, an official report has found.
Bankruptcy, divorce and vitriolic abuse from the public were among the other “harrowing” impacts laid bare in a long-awaited report from the inquiry on Tuesday.
The inquiry chairman, retired judge Sir Wyn Williams, said at least 59 people “contemplated suicide at various points in time” and “attributed this to their experiences with Horizon and/or the Post Office”.
He described it as a “common experience” among both people who were prosecuted and those who were not and said 10 of the 59 had attempted to take their own lives, some on more than one occasion.
His report said the families of six former postmasters and seven others who were not postmasters claimed they had taken their own lives “as a consequence of Horizon showing an illusory shortfall in branch accounts”.
Sir Wyn said it was a “real possibility” the 13 had died as a result of their experiences of the scandal.
He said: “I should stress that whilst I cannot make a definitive finding that there is a causal connection between the deaths of all 13 persons and Horizon, I do not rule it out as a real possibility.
“It is also possible that more than 13 persons, as indicated by the Post Office in response to the inquiry’s requests in March 2025, died by suicide but that some deaths have not been reported to the Post Office or the inquiry.”
Martin Griffiths deliberately stepped in front of an oncoming bus on September 23 2013.
He had begun to suffer shortfalls in branch accounts in 2009 and, in the four years which followed, sought assistance from the IT helpdesk without success, the report said, adding that he was given notice in July 2013 that his postmaster contract was to be terminated.
A Post Office investigator had advised the Post Office that Mr Griffiths was partly to blame for the loss incurred from a robbery – during which he was injured – at his Hope Farm Post Office branch in Cheshire in May 2013, the report said.
His death, aged 59, “was and remains devastating for his wife, children and other close family”, the report added.
It also included 19 recommendations for the Government to carry out, including setting up an arms-length body to provide financial redress to victims.
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds called the report an important milestone.
He said: “I welcome the publication today and am committed to ensuring wronged subpostmasters are given full, fair, and prompt redress.
“The recommendations contained in Sir Wyn’s report require careful reflection, including on further action to complete the redress schemes.”
Post Office minister Gareth Thomas paid tribute to inquiry chairman Sir Wyn Williams and his team for their “comprehensive and penetrating work”.
He added: “We must never lose sight of the Horizon scandal’s human impact on postmasters and their families, which the inquiry has highlighted so well.
“Sir Wyn’s report highlights a series of failings by the Post Office and various governments. His recommendations are immensely helpful as a guide for what is needed to finish the job, and we will respond in full to Parliament after carefully considering them.”
The chairman of the Post Office promised to do “everything in my power” to make sure postmasters “receive the redress they are entitled to”.
In a statement, Nigel Railton said: “I would like to make a clear and unequivocal apology to every single person affected by this scandal on behalf of Post Office.
“The Horizon Scandal is not one event. Lots of people made choices over two decades which caused serious harm to so many people. Post Office did not listen to postmasters and, as an organisation, we let them down. Postmasters and their families have suffered years of pain. It has taken them too long to clear their names and, in many cases, to receive redress.
“I welcome Sir Wyn Williams’ report, and I am grateful to those postmasters who gave evidence to the inquiry. It is through their personal stories that we understand the human impact of this scandal.
“I will do everything in my power to make sure that affected postmasters receive the redress they are entitled to, as soon as possible.
“Post Office will carefully review the report and provide a full response to the inquiry by 10 October 2025, as requested by Sir Wyn.”