Jailed former sub-postmaster's conviction quashed

Dewi Lewis received the letter two days after he married his partner, Mags

A former sub-postmaster who was falsely imprisoned for theft 13 years ago has been told his conviction has been quashed.

Dewi Lewis, 68, from Penrhyndeudraeth, Gwynedd, was 55 when he went to prison for four months in 2011 after he was accused of stealing more than £50,000 from the Post Office.

He had pleaded guilty to the charge following an examination of the accounts at his branch.

Mr Lewis received a letter from the Ministry of Justice on 22 August confirming that his conviction had been quashed and said it was a "huge relief".

Mr Lewis said it "lifted a huge burden after a nightmare 13 years".

The court heard in 2011 that Mr Lewis's father, aged 86, had remortgaged his house to pay the amount on behalf of his son.

Mr Lewis was originally jailed for 16 months, but this was reduced to four months.

He served as a Plaid Cymru councilor and worked for the Post Office for 26 years, was originally accused of stealing £53,629.09.

Mr Lewis said: "The saddest thing is that my parents are not here to see the letter - to see the truth come out.

"But I've been very lucky to have so much support from my family and the community."

He said he was "very grateful" to two other sub-postmasters from north Wales who have campaigned on the issue, Sir Alan Bates and Noel Thomas, "for all their work".

"There has been a lot of emotion since receiving the letter," he said.

Mr Lewis received the letter two days after he married his partner.

Dwyfor Meirionnydd MP Liz Saville Roberts said she was extremely pleased to hear the news.

She said the decision restored Mr Lewis's reputation after years of wrongdoing by Post Office senior managers.