New legislation will clear and compensate sub-postmasters who were the victims of what has been called the UK's most widespread miscarriage of justice.

Hundreds were wrongly prosecuted after faulty software said money was missing from Post Office branch accounts.

The next phase of a public inquiry into what went wrong is under way.

What is the Post Office Horizon scandal?

More than 900 sub-postmasters were prosecuted for stealing because of incorrect information from a computer system called Horizon.

The Post Office itself took many cases to court, prosecuting 700 people between 1999 and 2015.

Another 283 cases were brought by other bodies, including the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

Many sub-postmasters went to prison for false accounting and theft, and several were financially ruined.

In 2017, a group of 555 sub-postmasters took legal action against the Post Office. In 2019, it agreed to pay them £58m in compensation, but much of the money went on legal fees.

A draft report uncovered by the BBC showed the Post Office spent £100m fighting the group in court despite knowing its defence was untrue. The Post Office said it would be "inappropriate" to comment on the report.

Although campaigners won the right for their cases to be reconsidered, only 95 convictions had been overturned by mid-January 2024.

The Criminal Cases Review Commission said the scandal was "the most widespread miscarriage of justice" it had seen.

What is the Post Office Horizon public inquiry?

A public inquiry began in February 2021 and has heard evidence from Post Office and Fujitsu employees.

It resumed on Tuesday 9 April, with campaigner Alan Bates, former Post Office chief executive Paula Vennells and politicians who oversaw the Post Office among those set to give evidence.

This fifth phase of the inquiry is expected to last several weeks.

Mr Bates was the inspiration for the ITV drama series Mr Bates vs The Post Office, which was broadcast in January 2024.

Days later, the government announced new plans to clear and compensate those affected.

Mr Bates told the inquiry that the Post Office has spent 23 years trying to "discredit and silence" him.

Source:
courtesy of BBC NEWS

by BBC NEWS

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