Man convicted of false Post Office accounting wins right to appeal

Gareth Snow's prosecution was based on a third potentially faulty Post Office system, which the Criminal Cases Review Commission says could cause accounting errors

A former Post Office sub-postmaster jailed for false accounting more than 20 years ago has been given a chance to clear his name after his conviction was referred to the Court of Appeal.

Gareth Snow, who worked at Corwen Post Office branch, Denbighshire, admitted falsifying documents in 2001 to cover losses of more than £57,000. He was jailed for six months.

However, the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), a statutory body that investigates potential miscarriages of justice, referred his conviction for an appeal after his prosecution was based on a third potentially faulty Post Office system.

Dame Vera Bird KC, CCRC chair, said there was evidence the system "could cause accounting errors".

Dame Vera said there appeared to be "no indication" the Post Office made an attempt to investigate other causes for the shortfalls in Mr Snow's accounts.

Mr Snow was investigated in November 2000 after an audit of his branch, with prosecutors at his trial alleging he had falsified documents to cover a £57,534.75 loss.

He admitted three counts of false accounting - but said he had done so because of errors caused by the system he was using, which had resulted in accounting shortfalls.

The system, known as the Automatic Payment Service and Automatic Payment Terminal system (APS/APT), consisted of an electronic terminal connected to telephone lines.

It is a third potentially faulty system at the Post Office that could have led to wrongful convictions.

APS/APT was used to carry out transactions such as rent, rates, and utility bills. Records of transactions were kept in Mr Snow's manual account ledger.

Post Office's reliance on Fujitsu's Horizon software to prosecute sub-postmasters and sub-postmistresses has been responsible for about 1,000 wrongful convictions

Dame Vera added: "There is evidence that the APS/APT could cause accounting errors.

"Whilst Mr Snow did not raise issues about the APS/APT at the time, accounting shortfalls were occurring that he could not explain.

"It will now be for the Court of Appeal to decide whether the conviction is unsafe and should be quashed."

Mr Snow's case follows another referral by the CCRC - that of the conviction of sub-postmistress Patricia Owen, who died five years after being found guilty in 1998 of stealing from her branch, which she denied.

Her theft convictions were based on evidence from Post Office's Capture software system – which pre-dated the faulty Horizon IT system.

Fujitsu's Horizon IT software, which the Post Office relied upon to prosecute sub-postmasters and sub-postmistresses, has been found to have been responsible for about 1,000 wrongful convictions.

Several compensation schemes are available, paying out more than £1bn to thousands of victims of the Horizon scandal.

The Department for Business and Trade, which has oversight for the Post Office, has been contacted for comment.

Earlier this year, in relation to Ms Owen's case, it said it recognised postmasters had endured "immeasurable suffering".