A Bill has been introduce to Parliament that will quash the convictions of sub-postmasters wrongly criminalised as a result of the Post Office Horizon IT scandal.
The scandal, which has been rumbling on for more than a decade, was recently catapulted into the public eye by ITV drama Mr Bates vs. The Post Office (aff. link).
It resulted in more than 900 sub-postmasters being wrongly convicted of theft, fraud and kindred offences as a result of glitches in the Post Office's Horizon IT system.
If you are unfamiliar with the background, the ITV drama gives a harrowing account of the manner in which the Post Office, despite knowing about problems in the Horizon system, ruined the lives of loyal employees it wrongly accused of dishonesty.
Not only did those wrongly convicted lose their good names, in many cases they lost their homes, livelihoods and life savings too. Many were ostracised by their communities, suffered declining physical and mental health, broken relationships and a few, sadly, took their own lives to escape the situation.
Once enacted, the new legislation will remove the convictions of anyone prosecuted by either the Crown or the Post Office in relation to offences of dishonesty evidenced by the Horizon system. It will also remove any police cautions imposed in relation to similar allegations.
The legislation, which will only apply in England and Wales, will not, by my interpretation (and I'm happy to stand corrected), apply to any conviction that has already been considered by the Court of Appeal.
As many unsuccessful appeals will have been dismissed (or leave to appeal refused) on the basis of shoddy Horizon evidence, I am not sure how fair that particular provision is.
I am not generally a fan of politicians meddling in judicial decisions, but the circumstances in this case are exceptional.
Further reading:
Text of Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Bill as introduced on 13th March 2024;
Explanatory notes accompanying draft Bill.
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