Greenock subpostmaster’s son to appeal against conviction for taking £35,000

The son of a Post Office subpostmaster will appeal against his conviction for stealing £35,000 more than a decade ago.

More than 700 Post Office branch managers around the UK were prosecuted between 1999 and 2015 after faulty Horizon accounting software made it look as though money was missing from their shops, with many convictions subsequently being overturned.

About 100 subpostmasters in Scotland were convicted after they were wrongly accused of embezzling money in the scandal, and First Minister Humza Yousaf has pledged to get “justice” for those involved.

The Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission (SCCRC) referred cases to the High Court over potential miscarriages of justice.

At the Appeal Court in Edinburgh, Ravinder Naga challenged a conviction for stealing £35,000 from the Post Office where his mother worked in Greenock, Inverclyde.

He was given 300 hours’ community service in February 2010 after pleading guilty at Greenock Sheriff Court, where it was said that charges against Mr Naga’s mother had been dropped after the pair attended a police station and he gave a voluntary interview.

Mr Naga has lodged an appeal against the conviction, with a hearing set to go ahead on April 24.

Advocate Depute Brian Gill KC told the court: “My understanding is that the exercise, which was a lengthy exercise in previous appeals, won’t take more than a week.”

He said an appeal could be set for 14 days, and added: “The Crown’s position is that this is the most difficult appeal so far.”

Representing the Post Office, Gerry Moynihan KC said: “The petition is not opposed. The Advocate Depute is correct.”

The judge, Lady Dorrian, set a procedural hearing for April 24.