Children affected by Post Office scandal 'should get grants'

Tim said his new baby means he can now look forward to the next chapter of his life

A sub-postmaster wrongly prosecuted in the Horizon scandal is calling for greater use of restorative justice for those affected.

Tim Brentnall, from Roch in Pembrokeshire, was wrongly convicted in 2010 of false accounting after a £22,500 shortfall was wrongly recorded at his branch.

He said if the scandal had not happened, he would have been able to build his business and provide more for his children, and is calling for grants or bursaries for those affected.

Mr Brentnall met with the Restorative Justice Council as part of its Horizon Project to make the case for more support and accountability for family members affected by the scandal.

"The Post Office and Fujitsu should be doing something to help people put their lives back in order beyond the financial costs to us," he said.

Restorative justice is a problem-solving approach which involves meetings between the victim, the offender and the community.

That gives the offender the chance to make voluntary compensation to their victims. This could include financial compensation, an apology or an explanation of how the crime came about.

It works to resolve conflict and to repair the harm by giving the opportunity to put things right and encouraging offenders to consider the damage they have done.

It also allows the victims the opportunity to have this acknowledged and to have amends made.

The Restorative Justice Council's programme is specifically designed for individuals affected by the Post Office Horizon IT scandal.

Tim Brentnall's parents bought the Post Office branch with him when he was 22, to help him stay in the area

Speaking to BBC Radio Wales Breakfast, Tim said "restorative justice is more of a moral question".

"I've got both a 12-year-old daughter and a 15-month-old son at home. Had they not prosecuted me and I'd been allowed to go on to build a successful business, I would have paid for a good education for my children," he said.

He added that many children of sub-postmaster have missed out on opportunities and he wants to see an educational or entrepreneurial "grant or bursary" of children affected.

"If something can be put in place that allows the people that caused this to put things back in place, whilst also allowing the people affected to grow, rebuild and do something positive, then it's gotta be a really good thing," he said.

In 2021, Mr Brentnall's conviction was overturned and he submitted a claim for full financial redress to the Post Office August last year.

He said he was left in "disbelief" when he was offered less than 17% of his compensation claim, which he said he is resubmitting.

But he said he, along with other sub-postmasters, want to see an end.

"There are a great number of us who get great support and stoic network between us to keep this fight going.

"But people are just getting tired of it.

"The general age of the group is a lot older because people took post offices on as a retirement plan or a way to give back to their community. Those are the type of people who became postmasters.

"Either the postmaster themselves or the husband, wife or partner has a health scare, and they are ending up accepting much lower offers.

"They want to draw a line under it and not have to think about the Post Office every day. That's almost a scandal in itself because people should be getting what they are due and not being almost forced during the passage of time into accepting these low offers."

A Post Office spokesperson said it "apologised unreservedly" to the victims of the Horizon IT Scandal and was focused on paying redress as quickly as possible.