Adam Goldsmith
Live reporter

A day after the long-awaited Sir Wyn Williams report detailed the "disastrous" impact on Post Office scandal victims, sub-postmasters and postmistresses have had their say.

From the BBC Breakfast sofa, we heard how a "cruel" and "never-ending" system had forced claimants to re-live their trauma by requiring them to submit endless documents and evidence from more than 20 years ago in a battle for compensation.

For some, like Tom Hedges, this has meant settling claims early - and receiving less than he asked for - in order to just move on.

There was some hope though, with Sally Stringer saying she thinks the report will have "big consequences". But with a police investigation also underway, Janet Skinner wasn't convinced, asking: "How many investigations do you need to investigate something?"

Yesterday's inquiry report release isn't the end of the saga; a second report - establishing what happened and who's to blame - likely won't be published until 2026 given the sheer volume and complexity of evidence.

In the meantime, the report's author has asked the government to respond to his recommendations on compensation for family members and free legal advice for claimants by October. Post Office Minister Gareth Thomas says they will do so.

We're closing our live coverage there for today. To keep up to date with all the key details, you can have a read of our news story.

A little earlier, we mentioned how victims of the Post Office scandal were given the chance to share a message with the prime minister.

Here's a clip of how they responded on BBC Breakfast.

The BBC has stayed in touch with many of the sub-postmasters and postmistresses over the years.

You can read more about what they went through during the scandal:

• Tom Hedges received a seven-month suspended sentence after running a Lincolnshire branch, he told the BBC in 2024 it was his "Christian duty" to forgive those responsible
• Alison Hall was threatened with prosecution for theft, she admitted a lesser charge of false accounting and received a criminal record. Speaking to the BBC last year she described her ordeal following the wrongful conviction as a "nightmare"
• Tim Brentnall told us earlier this year that he was left "in disbelief" when he was offered less than 17% of his compensation claim. He was prosecuted for false accounting after a £22,500 shortfall was discovered at his branch
• Lee Castleton said victims of the Post Office scandal, like him, are "still fighting for justice". Castleton declared bankruptcy after losing a two-year legal battle when the Post Office falsely accused him of stealing £25,000 from his branch in Bridlington, East Yorkshire
• Mohammad Rasul, who was ordered to pay back £12,000 and given an electronic tag and a curfew - which meant he could not be with his father when he died - said he does not want other victims of the Post Office scandal to "suffer in silence"

It was an emotional half an hour on the BBC Breakfast sofa as we heard from victims of the Post Office scandal. Here's a quick glance at what they had to say:

On compensation:

• The 10 former sub-postmasters and postmistresses quickly gave a thumbs down to the current redress scheme, and none agreed that pay outs would be settled within the next 12 months
• As it stands, Maria Lockwood told BBC Breakfast, the current system is "cruel" and often asks for evidence dating back more than 20 years
• All ten agreed that the scheme feels designed to make them give up
• And, regardless of any compensation she receives, Tracey Felstead said it will "never take away the trauma" she has experienced as a result of being falsely accused.

On the inquiry report:

• Sally Stringer suggested the Sir Wyn Williams's report will have "big consequences"
• But Scott Darlington suggested that the government's track record "shows that they avoid trying to do things that they have to do"
• The Post Office also came in for criticism, after representatives' inquiry appearances were littered with phrases like "I do not recall, that wasn't my department..."
• Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer met with some of the victims before the general election, and Maria Lockwood urged him today to "stop playing with people's lives. Everyone on this sofa have suffered enough. There's thousands like us. Just end it, you can end it"

The guests are now asked to send a message directly to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, if he is watching. "Doubt it", one quips.

Maria Lockwood: "Just stop being cruel to people. Stop playing with people's lives. Everyone on this sofa have suffered enough. There's thousands like us. Just end it, you can end it."

Sally Stringer: "Prime minister, you need to get all your MPs to understand what this crisis has caused in this country. For once, get your act together."

Janet Skinner: "17 April last year we met with Keir Starmer. He made promises that if he got into power he would make sure that this was dealt with. That was over a year ago."

Tim Brentnall: "I naively thought when the government changed that we'd see this huge shift, that it could be a priority and a real win for a new government to be able to draw a line under this."

With that, the BBC Breakfast special has come to an end.

• Post Office minister Gareth Thomas said the government will respond to the inquiry recommendations promptly, adding that they will meet the deadline of 10 October given by inquiry chair Sir Wyn Williams

Sally Stringer had to pay £50,000 from her life savings to cover false accounting problems.

"Until you see an organisation pay the price for that in accountability, you know, I'll probably be dead and buried by then," she tells the BBC.

Stringer goes on to say that there has to be "a major constitutional change in this country to sort out the injustices we've all gone through".

• Stringer ran a Post Office branch in Beckford for 20 years before the accusations emerged. She was never convicted

Asked whether a change in the law would help resolve what's happened to them, Tracy Felstead says it wouldn't help her as "you'll never take away the trauma I've been through".

"It's not going to make a difference to the way I feel, because that damage has already been done," Felstead, who was sentenced to a young offenders institution at 19, adds.

Mohammad Rasul jumps in, saying sorry isn't enough. It's about what our country does when things go catastrophically wrong, he adds.

The panel are now asked: How should people in the government, Post Office and Fujitsu be held accountable?

Scott Darlington says he's "not confident" that all the people involved will "get their come-uppance".

Asked whether they feel anyone has properly apologised for the scandal, the panel are unanimous: "no".

"We saw this at the inquiry," Tim Brentnall says, describing how Post Office appearances were littered with phrases like "I do not recall, that wasn't my department..."

Janet Skinner interjects and says that the only time she feels she can finally step back from the project is when the claimants have justice and people are held accountable.

"How many investigations do you need to investigate something?" She asks. "The information is laid there bare for everybody already."

• As a reminder, Fujitsu is the Japanese company that operated the faulty Horizon IT software

The guests are asked about what the impact has been on their family and friends.

"We're losing too many people aren't we," Alison Hall says, downcast. "We all want closure on this. We all need closure."

She says that because she's a bit younger, she can "probably" enjoy her settlement, but it's awful for the older people "waiting and waiting".

Tim Brentnall mentions the inquiry found that 13 people may have taken their own lives due to the scandal. Another 59 people told the inquiry that they had contemplated suicide at various points.

• If you have been affected by the issues in this story the BBC Action Line details organisations which can provide support and advice.

When asked whether it seems like the intention is to make people give up on their claims, all 10 sub-postmasters and postmistresses say "yes".

Janet Skinner says the legal teams are making the most amount of money from the back and forth.

Tom Hedges says he read somewhere that "for every pound that goes out [as compensation] the lawyers on both sides get a quid each as well".

Maria Lockwood says it could all have been settled "a long time ago, a lot easier".

She adds that the government says they're conscious of the public purse, but in her view, she's not seeing that concern.

• Inquiry chair Sir Wyn Williams said he's "critical" of the Post Office and the government for the "development and evolution" of the compensation schemes for the victims, adding that there should not have been "four distinct and separate schemes for delivering financial redress"

Several of the victims of the Post Office scandal have been criticising the compensation schemes on BBC Breakfast. There's no single scheme for sub-postmasters to apply to.

Instead, four main schemes are aimed at groups of victims who had different experiences of the scandal.

As of 2 June 2025, about £1.04bn has been awarded to just over 7,300 sub-postmasters across all four redress schemes.

Prof Chris Hodges, chair of the the independent Horizon Compensation Advisory Board, told the BBC that some individual compensation claims were "well over £1m".

We're hearing more on the toll the fight for compensation has taken on the victims of the scandal.

Mohammad Rasul says: "We're burdened with having to prove all the time of the wrongs that the government and the Post Office need to put right."

Asked whether he is weary with the process, he responds: "I am."

Rasul explains that many of his peers are suffering from health problems.

"As you can probably see, I'm quivering," he tells BBC Breakfast, before suggesting that the government is benefiting from the battles facing the claimants.

Rasul worked for the Post Office for almost 20 years at the Tootal Drive branch, in Salford, when he was suspended in 2005. He was prosecuted two years later, ordered to pay back £12,000 and was given an electronic tag and a curfew.

The curfew meant he could not be with his father when he died.

• Rasul's conviction was quashed in 2021

We are now hearing from Tracy Felstead, who was sentenced to a young offenders institution when she was 19 years old.

She says that her claim has been in since February, but all she has had since then is multiple questions, not any form of an offer.

These questions are very difficult to answer after 20 years, she adds. "We're still being asked for more and more."

She is now on her third medical report that they have requested, which she says is "just silly".

"How many more medical reports do you need to prove what's happened? They know what's happened to us."

• Felstead was working as a counter clerk when she was accused of stealing £11,503 while working at Camberwell Green Post Office in London. She denied charges of theft and false accounting. Her conviction was overturned by the Court of Appeal in April 2021

Maria Lockwood, who ran a Post Office in Huddersfield, says the claims system is "cruel" and "it's never-ending".

She says victims are asked to show evidence often dating back more than 20 years.

Tom Hedges jumps in and explains that as he had to move out of his home and Post Office branch, he claimed for the rent he paid to landlords over the years.

Both landlords were able to provide this, but then there was another hurdle.

Next, they wanted to see bank statements showing that the money had gone out of his account. Photocopying the statements dating back years took him at least two and a half hours, Hedges adds.

• Lockwood had to pay back £30,000 to the Post Office

A response from Post Office Minister Gareth Thomas has just been played, with the sub-postmasters asked to respond to his comments.

First up, Scott Darlington asks: "Will they take any of the recommendations? They're not obliged to, and their track record shows that they've tried to avoid things that they have to do."

Alison Hall then describes how the process to receive compensation is "far too long".

She says that she was constantly being asked for more documents and information "which you've already given".

"It's just taking far too long," she adds.

Yesterday's report makes a series of urgent recommendations, including:

• free legal advice for claimants
• compensation payments for close family members of those affected
• a programme of restorative justice with Fujitsu, the Post Office and the government meeting individual victims directly

For context: Hall was threatened with prosecution for theft after the accounts of her Hightown Post Office, near Huddersfield, showed an alleged shortfall of £14,800. She admitted to a lesser charge of false accounting, and had to repay the missing sum plus £1,000 in legal costs

Darlington was convicted of false accounting after the system suggested that £35,000 was missing. He lost his job, was riddled with debt and struggled to get another job

The hosts turn to Lee Castleton and Tim Brentnall.

Brentnall says "it's good to see our concerns and our problems put down on paper but it's all just about political will".

They were told last year the government can't intervene, but then it announced that it would overturn the convictions, he explains.

"With the stroke of a pen, they could settle everyone's claim within a week."

Castleton says: "We deserve to be treated like victims and brought through this process without having to be revictimized, but that's not what is happening."

He says the legal teams are being given bonuses up to 15% of their income based on settlements they get.

• Castleton bought a Post Office in Bridlington in 2003 but within the year huge discrepancies began to appear on his branch accounts. He suspected the Horizon computer system was to blame and contacted the helpline 91 times seeking support. He was suspended and subjected to an audit after losses hit £25,000 in 2004, after which he was ordered to pay back the money. He lost a two-year legal battle defending himself, which forced him to declare bankruptcy

Tom Hedges, who ran a Lincolnshire Post Office branch, says he spent two and a half years with his legal team "meticulously putting my case together" to get a redress.

He says the "fair offer" from the Post Office would have been to pay him.

Hedges tells the BBC that given his age and his family circumstances, he says, he ended up settling because he wanted to get on with the rest of his life. Earlier, he said that he has received his compensation payment, but it was about 16% less than what he had asked for.

• Hedges ran a Post Office branch in Lincolnshire between 1994 and 2010 before he was prosecuted for theft and fraud. He received a seven-month suspended sentence but his conviction was ultimately overturned by the Court of Appeal a decade later
• You can read more about Tom Hedges' story here

Janet Skinner says the government is failing to address "the actual human impact" of the scandal.

"We have all these recommendations and then nobody does anything," she says.

Sally Stringer picks up, and describes how her fight to receive compensation was "a battle and a half".

Despite this, she says that yesterday's report will have "big consequences", and suggests that the government "should start to get their act together now" as a result.

• Skinner ran a Post Office branch in Bransholme, Hull and was handed a nine-month sentence in 2007 over an alleger shortfall of £59,000

After introducing themselves, the ten guests are asked by hosts Sally Nugent and Ben Thompson to raise their hands in response to two questions: Who is happy with the redress schemes? Who has faith that compensation will be settled in the next 12 months?

To the first, nobody raises a hand, instead some give a thumbs down.

To the second, again nobody raises a hand.

For context: When sharing the findings of the inquiry yesterday, chair Sir Wyn Williams said there have been “egregious delays” to compensation, with “more than 3,000 claims” yet to be resolved

Ten victims of the scandal are now sitting on the BBC Breakfast sofas, and we are about to hear from them.

We'll bring you the lines here as they react to the inquiry, and you can follow along by clicking Watch live at the top of this page.

Ten former sub-postmasters and mistresses will be joining our colleagues at BBC Breakfast in a few minutes. They are:

Maria Lockwood: ran a Post Office in Huddersfield and was forced to pay back £30,000

Sally Stringer: was never convicted of an offence but had to pay £50,000 from her life savings to cover false accounting problems

Mohammad Yaseen Rasul: worked for the Post Office for nearly 20 years, before being prosecuted and given an electronic tag and curfew, which meant he couldn't be with his father when he passed away

Tracy Felstead: was a 19-year-old working as a counter clerk when she was accused and sentenced to a young offenders institution

Image source, PA Media

Janet Skinner: handed a nine-month sentence in 2007 after an alleged £59,000 shortfall in her Hull branch

Scott Darlington: ran a Post Office in Cheshire and convicted of false accounting in 2010

Lee Castleton: declared bankruptcy after losing a two-year legal battle when accused of stealing from his East Yorkshire branch

Tom Hedges: received a seven-month suspended sentence after running a Lincolnshire branch

Alison Hall: threatened with prosecution for theft, she admitted a lesser charge of false accounting and received a criminal record

Tim Brentnall: prosecuted in 2010 after a £22,000 shortfall was wrongly discovered