Post Office: Daughter of Horizon scandal victim calls for jail time

Kathleen Crane (centre) had her conviction quashed on Monday

The daughter of a former sub-postmistress from East Sussex is calling for those responsible for the Horizon scandal to be held accountable.

Katy Crane helped her mother Kathleen Crane to appeal her conviction for fraud, which was quashed last week.

Following her mother's ordeal, she said "someone should serve some jail time".

The Post Office said it was for the "inquiry to reach its own independent conclusions after consideration of all the evidence".

Mrs Crane was convicted for fraud based on evidence from the Post Office's faulty Horizon IT system.

The Eastbourne resident was forced to pay back almost £19,000 of her own money and given a 12-month community order.

"I think somebody needs to be held to account," her daughter told BBC Radio Sussex, adding that she did not know how those responsible "sleep at night".

Compensation claim

Ms Crane has now called for her mother to be awarded compensation from the Horizon scandal.

"You can't put a figure on what people have lost," she said. "Four people took their lives - it makes me so emotional."

"My mum was embarrassed and wanted to hide, even though she knew she was innocent," Ms Crane added.

Kathleen Crane wore her late husband's scarf to the hearing

Mrs Crane's husband, Robert, became sub-postmaster of the Old Town Post Office in 2000, but she took over due to his ill health.

He passed away before he could find out his wife had been cleared.

Her barrister, Flora Page, said the case had "broken boundaries on every level" and Mrs Crane was "clearly happy to be vindicated".

The Post Office said: "We are deeply aware of the human cost of the scandal and are doing all we can to right the wrongs of the past, as far as that is possible.

"Both Post Office and government are committed to providing full, fair and final compensation for the people affected.

"Interim payments continue to be made in other cases which have not yet been resolved."

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