'I felt ostracised after Post Office Horizon injustice'

Sally Stringer had to pay £50,000 as a result of the scandal

A former postmistress was “ostracised” after the Post Office accused her of crimes in the Horizon scandal even though she paid £50,000 of her own money trying to balance the books.

Sally Stringer worked at the Post Office in Beckford, Worcestershire, for 20 years and was among hundreds accused of theft and false accounting.

She told BBC Hereford and Worcester the Post Office had been a trusted brand and her branch was seen as a “pillar of the community”.

The Post Office has previously apologised to victims and said it would do all it could to “provide redress”.

'Truth coming out'

Ms Stringer said that before the problems started to arise with Fujitsu's Horizon accounting software she had loved her job.

“[But] you became ostracised," she explained, after allegations about her were made public.

"But I am so glad at where we are now with the truth finally coming out about how corrupt Post Office Ltd are and how bad the system is," she added.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced this week that an emergency law would be brought in to clear the 736 convicted sub-postmasters.

There would also be a £75,000 upfront payment for some of those who have been affected.

The announcement followed public anger prompted by ITV drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office.

More than 900 postal workers were convicted in cases brought by the Post Office between 1999 and 2015

Ms Stringer said it was a “great start” but she would not be eligible for the new compensation as she was previously part of a group mediation, in which she was awarded £700.

“For the first time, I think we were all part of one big family," she told BBC Breakfast Live on Wednesday.

"We hadn’t met before but you could see people’s faces lifting because they could actually talk."

'Devastating impact'

During the show she criticised Fujitsu, which supplied the Horizon software.

Fujitsu has said it was fully committed to supporting the ongoing inquiry to learn from the scandal.

A previous statement from the Post Office said: “We sincerely apologise to victims for the devastating impact of the Post Office Horizon IT scandal on the lives of so many.

“We are doing all we can to provide redress and urge anyone affected who has not yet come forward to do so.”