Post Office scandal: Dorset postmistress 'had everything taken away'

"I've had everything taken away from me, everything I thought I'd worked hard for was suddenly taken overnight," Tracey Merritt said

A postmistress who was sacked during the Post Office scandal says she "had everything taken away" and now suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Tracey Merritt ran two rural post offices in Dorset but was dismissed for "inappropriate use of funds" in 2009.

The 54-year-old was prosecuted for theft, but as the charges were dropped she could not claim damages.

A public inquiry into the scandal is currently under way.

More than 700 sub-postmasters and mistresses were convicted after faulty accounting software made it look as though money was missing from their branches.

It has been described as the most widespread miscarriage of justice in UK history, with dozens of convictions overturned and many more in line for compensation.

The public inquiry into the Post Office Horizon scandal is currently under way

But Ms Merritt is not one of them as her case never went to court.

"I've had everything taken away from me, I've got no savings," she said.

"The business I thought I was going to pass onto my children has gone. Everything I thought I'd worked hard for was suddenly taken overnight."

Between 2000 and 2014, the Post Office prosecuted 736 employees based on information from a recently installed computer system called Horizon, developed by the Japanese company Fujitsu.

The new software was used for transactions, accounting and stocktaking

Sub-postmasters complained about bugs in the system after it reported shortfalls, some of which amounted to many thousands of pounds. In the case of Ms Merritt the shortfall amounted to £13,500.

"I said, look I think it's the computer, their answer was, 'There's nothing wrong with our computer, you're the only one this has happened to and you're just a thief,'" Ms Merritt said.

On Christmas Eve 2009, she received a notice of dismissal letter citing inappropriate use of Post Office funds as the reason for her termination.

In December 2019, the Post Office agreed to settle with 555 claimants, including Ms Merritt.

It accepted it had previously "got things wrong in [its] dealings with a number of postmasters", and agreed to pay £58m in damages.

The claimants received a share of £12m.

Ms Merritt said she received "a little" money but added most of it was "swallowed up in legal fees".

A settlement in 2019 saw 555 claimants receive a share of £12m

In March, the government said it would establish a new compensation scheme targeted at the 555 claimants who brought the 2019 case to "ensure the postmasters who were the first to take legal action against the Post Office over the failings of its Horizon IT computer system will be compensated fully and fairly".

Since being the sub-postmistress for Yetminster and Chetnole, Ms Merritt has worked for Dorset Social Services and now works at a supermarket and also sells ice cream.

But the scandal has left its mark as she was recently diagnosed with PTSD.

"Suddenly I'd have a meltdown," she said, adding: "I began not coping, I started thinking suicidal thoughts and actually started scaring myself.

"I didn't know it was PTSD and when the doctor suggested it might be, I didn't think it could be as I'd never been to war."

The public inquiry is currently hearing from the sub-postmasters and mistresses who were convicted, it will also hear from Fujitsu, the Post Office and the government.