{"id":18656,"date":"2021-04-23T07:44:24","date_gmt":"2021-04-23T11:44:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/?p=18656"},"modified":"2021-04-23T07:44:24","modified_gmt":"2021-04-23T11:44:24","slug":"convicted-post-office-workers-have-names-cleared","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/2021\/04\/23\/convicted-post-office-workers-have-names-cleared\/","title":{"rendered":"Convicted Post Office workers have names cleared"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-3z08n3-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p><b class=\"ssrcss-14iz86j-BoldText e5tfeyi0\">Judges have quashed the convictions of 39 former postmasters after the UK&#8217;s most widespread miscarriage of justice.<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-3z08n3-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>They were convicted of stealing money, with some imprisoned, after the Post Office installed the Horizon computer system in branches.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-3z08n3-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>The system was flawed and postmasters and postmistresses have spent years trying to clear their names.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-3z08n3-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>Judges said the Post Office sought to reverse the burden of proof when prosecuting the postmasters.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"unordered-list-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-3z08n3-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1pzprxn-BulletListContainer e5tfeyi3\">\n<ul role=\"list\">\n<li><a class=\"ssrcss-hiczm3-InlineLink e1no5rhv0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/business-56718036\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Why were hundreds of sub-postmasters prosecuted?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-3z08n3-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>Following the convictions &#8211; including theft, fraud and false accounting &#8211; some former postmasters went to prison, were shunned by their communities and struggled to secure work<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-3z08n3-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>Some lost their homes and even failed to get insurance owing to their convictions. Some have since died.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-3z08n3-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>They always said the fault was in the computer system, which had been used to manage post office finances since 1999.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-3z08n3-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>Among them was Janet Skinner, who ran a post office in Hull. She was imprisoned in 2007 for nine months over a shortfall of \u00a359,000 &#8211; a case which she said &#8220;destroyed everything&#8221;. Like others, she said she had no idea other sub-postmasters and sub-postmistresses were being prosecuted and convicted.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-3z08n3-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>She was taken away from her two children to go to prison, and &#8211; after her release &#8211; had a job offer taken away owing to her criminal conviction.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-mysbf6-ComponentWrapper-CrossheadComponentWrapper e1xue1i84\" data-component=\"crosshead-block\">\n<h2 class=\"ssrcss-qozapo-StyledHeading e1fj1fc10\">&#8216;Steamrolled&#8217;<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-3z08n3-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>At the Royal Courts of Justice in London, Lord Justice Holroyde said the Post Office &#8220;knew there were serious issues about the reliability of Horizon&#8221; and had a &#8220;clear duty to investigate&#8221; the system&#8217;s defects.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-3z08n3-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>But the Post Office &#8220;consistently asserted that Horizon was robust and reliable&#8221; and &#8220;effectively steamrolled over any sub-postmaster who sought to challenge its accuracy&#8221;, the judge added.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-3z08n3-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>The Court of Appeal also allowed the appeals on the basis that their prosecutions were an affront to justice &#8211; a decision that allows for the possibility of further claims for compensation against the Post Office.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-3z08n3-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>The judgement was met with cheers from former postmasters outside court.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-18mjolk-ComponentWrapper e1xue1i80\" data-component=\"image-block\">\n<figure class=\"ssrcss-2y05cd-StyledFigure e34k3c20\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-kwaqyc-StyledFigureContainer e34k3c22\"><span class=\"ssrcss-1hq4gmv-Placeholder e16icw910\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"ssrcss-evoj7m-Image ee0ct7c0\" src=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/976\/cpsprodpb\/142FD\/production\/_118158628_56849180.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/240\/cpsprodpb\/142FD\/production\/_118158628_56849180.jpg 240w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/320\/cpsprodpb\/142FD\/production\/_118158628_56849180.jpg 320w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/142FD\/production\/_118158628_56849180.jpg 480w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/624\/cpsprodpb\/142FD\/production\/_118158628_56849180.jpg 624w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/800\/cpsprodpb\/142FD\/production\/_118158628_56849180.jpg 800w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/976\/cpsprodpb\/142FD\/production\/_118158628_56849180.jpg 976w\" alt=\"Postmistresses\" width=\"976\" height=\"549\" \/><\/span><\/div><figcaption class=\"ssrcss-1rnnz6t-StyledFigureCaption e34k3c21\">Seema Misra, Jo Hamilton, and Janet Skinner (left to right) are among those cleared (Imge: PA Media\/ Jo Hamilton\/ BBC)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-3z08n3-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Those whose convictions have been quashed are Josephine Hamilton, Hughie Thomas, Allison Henderson, Alison Hall, Gail Ward, Julian Wilson, Jacqueline McDonald, Tracy Felstead, Janet Skinner, Scott Darlington, Seema Misra, Della Robinson, Khayyam Ishaq, David Thomas Hedges, Peter Anthony Holmes, Rubina Shaheen, Damien Owen, Mohammed Rasul, Wendy Buffrey, Kashmir Gill, Barry Capon, Vijay Parekh, Lynette Hutchings, Dawn O&#8217;Connell, Carl Page, Lisa Brennan, William Graham, Siobhan Sayer, Pauline Thomson, Tim Burgess, Nicholas Clark, Margery Williams, Tahir Mahmood, Ian Warren, David Yates, Harjinder Butoy, Gillian Howard, David Blakey and Pamela Lock.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-mysbf6-ComponentWrapper-CrossheadComponentWrapper e1xue1i84\" data-component=\"crosshead-block\">\n<h2 class=\"ssrcss-qozapo-StyledHeading e1fj1fc10\">&#8216;The trauma will never leave them&#8217;<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-3z08n3-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>Investigative journalist Nick Wallis has\u00a0<a class=\"ssrcss-hiczm3-InlineLink e1no5rhv0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.postofficetrial.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">followed this saga for years<\/a>, reporting on the case for BBC Panorama and Radio 4.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-3z08n3-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>&#8220;Just over 10 years ago I spoke on the phone to a man who was crying his eyes out,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-3z08n3-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>&#8220;His pregnant wife, Seema Misra &#8211; the sub-postmaster at West Byfleet Post Office in Surrey &#8211; had been sent to prison for theft. He swore she was an innocent victim of the Post Office&#8217;s computer system, Horizon.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-3z08n3-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>&#8220;After meeting dozens of sub-postmasters over the past decade I have been struck by the dignity and quiet anger they convey in interviews and conversation &#8211; emotions never stray far from the surface.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-3z08n3-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>&#8220;There will be some jubilation at the quashing of so many convictions today, but the trauma, the loss of reputation and the years of financial hardship for the dozens of people who were prosecuted by the Post Office will never leave them.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-mysbf6-ComponentWrapper-CrossheadComponentWrapper e1xue1i84\" data-component=\"crosshead-block\">\n<h2 class=\"ssrcss-qozapo-StyledHeading e1fj1fc10\">&#8216;Failures&#8217;<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-3z08n3-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>Post Office chief executive Nick Read said: &#8220;I am in no doubt about the human cost of the Post Office&#8217;s past failures and the deep pain that has been caused to people affected.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-3z08n3-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>&#8220;Many of those postmasters involved have been fighting for justice for a considerable length of time and sadly there are some who are not here to see the outcome today and whose families have taken forward appeals in their memory. I am very moved by their courage.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-3z08n3-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>&#8220;The quashing of historical convictions is a vital milestone in fully and properly addressing the past as I work to put right these wrongs as swiftly as possible and there must be compensation that reflects what has happened.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-3z08n3-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>In three additional cases &#8211; those Stanley Fell, Wendy Cousins and Neelam Hussain &#8211; the judges ruled the convictions were not based on Horizon evidence, so their appeals against conviction failed.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-mysbf6-ComponentWrapper-CrossheadComponentWrapper e1xue1i84\" data-component=\"crosshead-block\">\n<h2 class=\"ssrcss-qozapo-StyledHeading e1fj1fc10\">What is the Horizon computer scandal?<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-18mjolk-ComponentWrapper e1xue1i80\" data-component=\"image-block\">\n<figure class=\"ssrcss-2y05cd-StyledFigure e34k3c20\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-kwaqyc-StyledFigureContainer e34k3c22\"><span class=\"ssrcss-1hq4gmv-Placeholder e16icw910\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"ssrcss-evoj7m-Image ee0ct7c0\" src=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/624\/cpsprodpb\/10734\/production\/_85008376_horizon.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/240\/cpsprodpb\/10734\/production\/_85008376_horizon.jpg 240w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/320\/cpsprodpb\/10734\/production\/_85008376_horizon.jpg 320w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/10734\/production\/_85008376_horizon.jpg 480w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/624\/cpsprodpb\/10734\/production\/_85008376_horizon.jpg 624w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/800\/cpsprodpb\/10734\/production\/_85008376_horizon.jpg 800w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/976\/cpsprodpb\/10734\/production\/_85008376_horizon.jpg 976w\" alt=\"Person using Horizon\" width=\"624\" height=\"351\" \/><\/span><\/div><figcaption class=\"ssrcss-1rnnz6t-StyledFigureCaption e34k3c21\">The Horizon system is designed to record the transactions carried out in a post office branch<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-3z08n3-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The Horizon system, developed by the Japanese company Fujitsu, was first rolled out in 1999 to some post offices to be used for a variety of tasks including accounting and stocktaking.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-3z08n3-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>But from an early stage it appeared to have significant bugs which could cause the system to misreport, sometimes involving substantial sums of money.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-3z08n3-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>Horizon-based evidence was used by the Post Office to successfully prosecute 736 people.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-3z08n3-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>But campaigners fought a long and series of legal battles for compensation in the civil courts, which have been followed by referrals by the Criminal Cases Review Commission.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"unordered-list-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-3z08n3-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1pzprxn-BulletListContainer e5tfeyi3\">\n<ul role=\"list\">\n<li>Listen to the background of the saga &#8211;\u00a0<a class=\"ssrcss-hiczm3-InlineLink e1no5rhv0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/programmes\/m000jf7j\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Great Post Office Trial on BBC Sounds<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Watch the latest BBC Panorama &#8211;\u00a0<a class=\"ssrcss-hiczm3-InlineLink e1no5rhv0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/programmes\/m000gpbv\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Scandal at the Post Office<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/business-56859357\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bbc.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\">Judges have quashed the convictions of 39 former postmasters after the UK&#8217;s most widespread miscarriage of justice. They were convicted of stealing money, with some imprisoned, after the Post Office installed the Horizon computer system <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/2021\/04\/23\/convicted-post-office-workers-have-names-cleared\/\" title=\"Convicted Post Office workers have names cleared\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18657,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[109,2,4],"tags":[3173,7737,1217,6819],"class_list":{"0":"post-18656","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-headline","8":"category-news","9":"category-uk","10":"tag-court-of-appeal","11":"tag-horizon","12":"tag-miscarriage-of-justice","13":"tag-post-office","14":"pmpro-has-access"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18656","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18656"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18656\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18659,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18656\/revisions\/18659"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18657"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18656"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18656"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18656"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}