Postmasters affected by Horizon scandal still fighting for compensation

Scottish postmasters are still pursuing compensation years after a widespread miscarriage of justice beginning more than two decades ago left many bankrupt or wrongly accused of theft, fraud and false accounting.

A new campaign will put them back in the spotlight next month.

The newly formed Scottish Postmasters for Justice & Redress (SPJR) support group is appealing for victims of the Post Office Ltd’s Horizon computer system scandal to come forward and tell their story.

Their campaign will officially launch at a Scottish Parliament event on April 2, and it is calling for Horizon scandal victims to come forward and “get the redress they deserve”.

SPJR estimates that around 140 individuals were prosecuted in Scotland due to issues related to the Horizon IT system at the Post Office Ltd.

Across the UK, more than 700 Post Office branch managers were handed criminal convictions after the faulty Fujitsu accounting software made it appear as though money was missing from their outlets.

Many victims were pursued through the courts, or had to pay hundreds of thousands of pounds and went bankrupt after being wrongly accused of theft, fraud and false accounting.

The campaign group, led by Rab Thomson, said many wrongfully accused postmasters in Scotland are still reluctant to engage with Post Office Limited, resulting in a loss of rightful compensation for them.

Mr Thomson, who was accused of embezzling cash from his post office in Cambus, near Alloa, was one of the first victims in Scotland to have his conviction overturned after a 20 year battle. However, he is still waiting for compensation.

He has been instrumental in forming the new SPJR campaign, which is aimed at helping other wrongly accused and convicted postmasters clear their name.

“In Scotland, we are being left behind on overturned convictions and redress,” Mr Thomson said.

“I had a 20-year fight to clear my name, and this group is determined to help all those who were wrongly convicted. Please come forward and tell your story so we can help you get the redress you deserve.”

The purpose of the group is to find all postmasters in Scotland who have been convicted so they can apply for redress and to offer help and support for those who have been prosecuted.

The group also aims to quash the convictions of those who have been prosecuted and encourage postmasters who were not convicted but paid their own money to Post Office Ltd to come forward.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Wrongly convicted sub-postmasters in Scotland were automatically exonerated by legislation that the Scottish Government brought forward last year, meaning they are eligible to access the UK Government’s compensation schemes. We have now contacted people in 61 cases to let them know their convictions have been quashed and ensuring court records are changed.”

The SPJR campaign will be officially launched at Scottish Parliament on April 2.