Post Office Horizon scandal: Why hundreds were wrongly prosecuted
- Published
A law quashing the wrongful convictions of hundreds of sub-postmasters was introduced in May.
Many were wrongly prosecuted after faulty software said money was missing from their Post Office branch accounts.
What is the Post Office Horizon scandal?
More than 900 sub-postmasters were prosecuted for stealing because of incorrect information from the Horizon computer system. It has been called the UK's most widespread miscarriage of justice.
The Post Office itself took many cases to court, prosecuting 700 people between 1999 and 2015. Another 283 cases were brought by other bodies, including the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
Many sub-postmasters went to prison for false accounting and theft, and many were financially ruined.
In 2017, a group of 555 sub-postmasters took legal action against the Post Office. In 2019, it agreed to pay them £58m in compensation, but much of the money went on legal fees.
The Metropolitan Police is investigating the Post Office over potential fraud offences.
How will Post Office convictions be overturned?
Although campaigners won the right for their cases to be reconsidered, only 102 convictions had been overturned, external by March 2024.
Legislation to clear victims' names and pay them compensation became law in May. It applies to England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Convictions will be automatically quashed if they were:
prosecuted by the Post Office or CPS
for offences carried out in connection with Post Office business between 1996 and 2018
for relevant offences such as theft, fraud and false accounting
against sub-postmasters, their employees, officers, family members or direct employees of the Post Office working in a Post Office that used the Horizon system software
It is expected that most victims will have been cleared by the end of July.
The Scottish parliament also passed its own bill, external.
What compensation schemes are in place?
In July, the new Labour government published details of a new compensation scheme, external called the Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme (HCRS).
Two compensation routes will be available, with one route offering £600,000 as a final settlement and another route for sub-postmasters who think they are owed more.
All of those who qualify for compensation will be given an immediate £200,000 payout.
Those whose wrongful convictions were quashed before the May legislation will not need to move to the new scheme and are entitled to the same compensation.
Former Post Office Minister Kevin Hollinrake previously said the Conservative government had budgeted £1bn for compensation.
More than 4,000 people were told they were eligible, under three schemes:
The Group Litigation Order (GLO) Scheme for the 555 former postmasters (excluding those who had criminal convictions) who won their group lawsuit, but received relatively small payouts after legal costs. They will now be offered £75,000, but many are expected to push for more
The Overturned Convictions Scheme offers those eligible a fast-tracked £600,000 settlement, or the chance to negotiate a higher payment.
The Horizon Shortfall Scheme is for sub-postmasters who were not convicted, or part of the GLO court action, but who believe they experienced shortfalls because of Horizon. This group will be offered a fixed payment of £75,000
Prof Chris Hodges, chair of the the independent Horizon Compensation Advisory Board, told the BBC that some individual compensation claims were "well over £1m".
What was the effect on Post Office staff?
Many former sub-postmasters and sub-postmistresses say the scandal ruined their lives.
Some used their own money to cover non-existent shortfalls because their contracts said they were responsible for unexplained losses. Many faced bankruptcy or lost their livelihoods.
Marriages broke down, and some families believe the stress led to serious health conditions, addiction and even premature death.
Victims of the Post Office scandal tell their own stories of how they were accused of criminality.
What is Fujitsu's Horizon system?
Horizon was developed by the Japanese company Fujitsu, for tasks such as accounting and stocktaking.
It was introduced by the Post Office in 1999.
Sub-postmasters quickly complained about bugs in the system after it falsely reported shortfalls - often for many thousands of pounds - but their concerns were dismissed.
The Horizon system is still used by the Post Office,, external which describes the latest version as "robust".
What is the Post Office Horizon public inquiry?
A public inquiry began in February 2021, external and has heard evidence from Post Office and Fujitsu employees.
The fifth phase began on Tuesday 9 April, with campaigner Alan Bates the first to appear.
He told the inquiry that the Post Office has spent 23 years trying to "discredit and silence" him.
Paula Vennells, chief executive between 2012 and 2019, gave evidence in May and apologised to the sub-postmasters and their families "who have suffered as a result of all that the inquiry has been looking into for so long".
Who has been criticised for the Horizon scandal?
Ms Vennells resigned in 2019 over the scandal. In January 2024, she said she would hand back her CBE.
In August 2023, current chief executive Nick Read said he would return bonus money awarded for his work on the Horizon inquiry.
Fujitsu Europe director Paul Patterson said the firm had a "moral obligation" to help fund compensation payments.
Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey has been criticised for refusing to meet Mr Bates when he was postal affairs minister, in May 2010. He says he was "deeply misled by Post Office executives".
The BBC discovered that former Prime Minister David Cameron's government knew the Post Office had dropped a secret investigation that might have helped postmasters prove their innocence.
Separately, former Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch denied claims from former Post Office chairman Henry Staunton that he was told to delay compensation payments to allow the government to "limp into the election".