Three Scots who had Post Office convictions quashed yet to be traced

Three Scots whose convictions were quashed following the Horizon IT scandal have still not been traced, a report has found.

A law to quash the convictions of Post Office staff wrongly accused of offences linked to the scandal has cleared 65 people.

The Post Office (Horizon System) Offences (Scotland) Act came into force in June 2024 to exonerate innocent postmasters and other staff.

The Horizon IT scandal saw many people working in Post Offices wrongly accused and convicted after faulty accounting software falsely suggested money was missing from branches.

A report by the Scottish Government has found that since the Act’s introduction, 100 cases have been assessed.

Sixty-five people had their criminal records cleared of Post Office-related offending, with 64 convictions quashed and one alternative to prosecution deleted.

Some 52 people have accessed compensation through the UK Government redress scheme.

Of the cases assessed, 35 convictions were not quashed.

Justice Secretary Angela Constance said while the core part of the project to exonerate those wrongly accused has come to an end, new cases could still be looked at.

She said: “The Horizon scandal caused enormous harm to individuals and families across the UK.

“Innocent people had their lives turned upside down as a result of miscarriages of justice built on flawed evidence from a deeply flawed computer system.

“It was right that we acted swiftly to introduce legislation to quash those convictions for victims in Scotland.

“Today’s report details that 100 cases were assessed, resulting in 65 individuals having their criminal records cleared of Post Office-related offending – 64 convictions quashed and one alternative to prosecution deleted. Thirty-five convictions were assessed as not quashed.

“Sixty-two of the 65 individuals have been successfully traced, with efforts continuing to locate the remaining three.

“This report also sets out for the first time the processes the Scottish Government has followed and the close working with justice agencies that made this possible. I am grateful to all those involved.

“This marks the end of the core phase of the Post Office conviction project.

“However, if any individual believes they or someone they know has a relevant conviction, we remain committed to considering any new requests under the Act.”