Post Office scandal: Jailed postmaster unconvinced by plan
- Published
Noel Thomas was wrongly convicted of false accounting in 2006
A former sub-postmaster jailed in the Post Office scandal says he is not convinced by Rishi Sunak's latest plan.
Noel Thomas, 77, from Anglesey, was locked up for false accounting in 2006 after his books fell short by £48,000.
Upon hearing that new legislation is to be rushed in to quash convictions he said he would have to "wait to see the small print".
He added he has been "promised a hell of a lot" so far only for nothing to come of it.
Meanwhile, Plaid Cymru has called for a review of any contracts held by the Welsh government with Fujitsu - the Japanese company whose system was at the heart of the scandal.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Sunak revealed the UK government is to bring in a new law to "swiftly exonerate and compensate victims" of the scandal - it lasted from 1999 and 2015 and saw 736 sub-postmasters unfairly prosecuted due to a faulty IT system.
More than 700 branch managers were given criminal convictions, only 93 of which have so far been overturned.
Described in Prime Minister's Questions as a "huge injustice" by Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, the scandal has recently been highlighted in the acclaimed ITV drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office.
"We will wait to see the small print because we have been promised a hell of a lot over the last 18 years and we have been set back," said Mr Thomas of the prime minister's announcement.
"So I'm not quite convinced, but if it does help fellow sub-postmasters up and down the country, it's sorely needed."
Mr Thomas, who finally had his conviction quashed in 2021, described the last few weeks as "a whirlwind".
"It's taken a TV drama like this to bring it home to the public," he said.
Toby Jones has won praise for his role in Mr Bates vs The Post Office
After spending 13 weeks in prison for crime he did not commit, Mr Thomas added: "I honestly did struggle for the first three years until I was told by a BBC journalist Sion Tecwyn that there were others like me also involved.
"And there are friends of mine across the country who have had it worse than me."
He said: "I just hope he (Rishi Sunak) keeps to his word because we have heard promises before, only for things to then be put back in the drawer.
"I don't know why it's taken this long to do the right thing."
The business and trade minister has also apologised directly to Mr Thomas, when questioned by Plaid Cymru's Westminster leader Liz Saville Roberts in the Commons.
Kevin Hollinrake said: "Can I on behalf of the Government and the Post Office apologise for what happened to Mr Thomas.
"It was such a moving story and I think anyone watching would have been moved to tears by what happened to him and others."
Asked later whether he would meet with Mr Thomas if asked, Mr Hollinrake added he'd be "delighted to".
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