Post Office scandal: Postmaster Tim Brentnall cleared

Tim Brentnell outside court after having his conviction overturned

A former sub-postmaster from Pembrokeshire who was caught up in the Horizon Post Office scandal has had his conviction for false accounting overturned.

Tim Brentnall, from Roch, was prosecuted in 2010 after a £22,000 shortfall was discovered at his branch.

He is one of 736 former Post Office managers prosecuted due to the flawed Horizon computer system.

Mr Brentnall said it had taken 16 years of stress to clear his name.

Mr Brentnall was 22 when he and his parents bought the shop and the plan was for him to have an income to help him stay in the area where he grew up.

In 2009, auditors arrived on behalf of the Post Office and found there was a discrepancy at his branch.

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"I was immediately suspended and within a few days taken to Haverfordwest police station for interviews," he said.

"It was horrific. I felt totally alone and helpless."

Even though Mr Brentnall knew he had not taken any money, he and his family were desperate to make up for the missing funds.

His parents took out a loan to pay the alleged debt, but he was prosecuted for false accounting shortly afterwards.

Tim Brentnall worked at a Post Office in Roch, Pembrokeshire

Like many others in his position, he was advised to plead guilty and was given an 18-month suspended sentence, plus 200 hours of community service.

Mr Brentnall said it was impossible to find work, and he knew people were judging him.

"I didn't want to go to the village pub because people were talking and saying: 'He says he hasn't done anything, but he's pleaded guilty, so there's no smoke without fire'.

"I lost sleep for a number of years, lost friendships, and all because people didn't believe what I was saying."

Tim Brentnall's parents bought the Post Office branch with him, to help him stay in the area

His father StJohn Brentnall said: "The stigma of a conviction and the character assassination that Tim has had to bear for the last 10 years, it has been horrible to see him lose his self-confidence.

"But he stood it, he got through it and we feel very proud of him."

Two years after his prosecution, Mr Brentnall learned he was not alone and had fallen victim to the Horizon computer system that was installed by the Post Office in 2001.

What is the Horizon Post Office scandal?

Flaws in that system made it look as though money was going missing from Post Office branches.

Between 2000 and 2014, the Post Office prosecuted 736 sub-postmasters based on information from the flawed computer system, which wrongly showed shortfalls in sub-postmasters' accounts.

Mr Brentnall is the latest in a long line of former sub-postmasters to have their convictions overturned in what is already the most widespread miscarriage of justice in UK history.

His was one of 31 cases being heard in the Court of Appeal on Monday, and was one of 10 people who were told the Post Office would not be contesting the appeal.

Many are still waiting to hear if they will receive compensation and an independent inquiry looking into the scandal was recently given extra powers.

Speaking after the judgment, Mr Brentnall said he felt vindicated

Mr Brentnall said: "I can stand with my head held high again and say to everyone I was right - I haven't done anything wrong and it was this system that the Post Office forced on people.

"There's still a fight to try to hold the people who did this to account.

"There are people who've known what was going on but tried to sweep it under the carpet. I don't want to rest until people have been brought to account.

"I feel relieved and vindicated. I can hold my head high now and know that I didn't do anything wrong… but I also feel angry that this could have happened."