Post Office scandal may have led to more than 13 suicides, inquiry finds

The Guardian

08-07-2025

More than 13 people may have killed themselves as a result of the Post Office Horizon IT scandal and it drove at least 59 more to contemplate suicide, according to the first findings from the public inquiry into what has been labelled the worst miscarriage of justice in UK history.
The 162-page volume one report from Sir Wyn Williams, the retired judge who chaired the hearings, looks at the 'disastrous human impact' on thousands of post office operators wrongly held responsible for shortfalls in their branches caused by faulty software.
It also covers the issue of compensation, arguing the Post Office and its advisers had in many cases adopted an 'unnecessarily adversarial attitude' to those seeking financial redress, who now number at least 10,000 – far higher than the more than 1,000 people prosecuted.
Speaking after the report was published, Williams said evidence had revealed a 'profoundly disturbing' picture.
While four suicides have been blamed on the scandal, Williams said at least 13 could be linked to it, and the total may be higher with some deaths unreported. A further 19 people began abusing alcohol, with some saying they could not sleep at night without drinking first.
Of the 59 who had thoughts about killing themselves, 10 went on to attempt suicide, some on more than one occasion. Contemplating suicide 'was a common experience across both those who were and were not prosecuted', the report said.
One post office operator said: 'The impact on me of the treatment the Post Office subjected me to has been immeasurable. The mental stress was so great for me that I had a mental breakdown and turned to alcohol as I sank further into depression. I attempted suicide on several occasions and was admitted to a mental health institution twice.'
About 1,000 post office operators were prosecuted and convicted by the Post Office between 1999 and 2015, the report said, because of faulty Horizon accounting software that suggested they had committed fraud. A further 50 to 60 people, possibly more, were prosecuted but not convicted. The total wrongly held responsible for losses was in the thousands, with many making up the shortfall out of their pocket without ever being charged.
Post Office bosses either knew, or should have known, that the IT system was faulty, the report said, but they 'maintained the fiction that its data was always accurate' when prosecuting branch owner-operators.
Williams said he had received more than 200 witness statements from victims and almost all 'had suffered very significantly and many had endured a degree of hardship which was very severe by any standards'.
Some became seriously ill, struggled with mental health problems, suffered financial hardship, lost their homes or went bankrupt.
Even those who were acquitted often found themselves 'ostracised' in their communities, and many died before receiving compensation – reports have put the figure at about 350. Some family members also suffered psychiatric and other illnesses and 'very significant financial losses'.
The report revealed about 10,000 people were claiming compensation through four schemes, two of which were merged in early June, and that number was likely to rise 'at least by hundreds, if not more' over the coming months. There were more than 3,000 claims still to resolve, half of which were in the initial stages, Williams said.
In the report, he said: 'On too many occasions, the Post Office and its advisers have adopted an unnecessarily adversarial attitude towards making initial offers, which have had the effect of depressing the level at which settlements have been achieved.'
Williams called for urgent action to deliver 'full and fair' compensation, asking the government and the Post Office to agree on a definition of the term to follow when deciding how much to offer.
Williams said victims should receive free legal advice, funded by the government, to help them decide whether they should opt for the fixed-sum offer or assessment of their claims, and close family members of affected post office operators should also be compensated.
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Williams said the government had until 10 October to respond, and asked that ministers, with the Post Office and the Japanese technology company Fujitsu, which developed the faulty software, outline a programme for restorative justice, such as counselling and bursaries for those affected, by the end of that month. He also called for the creation of a standing public body that could administer and deliver 'financial redress to persons who have been wronged by public bodies'.
In response to the findings, the chair of the Post Office, Nigel Railton, made a 'clear and unequivocal apology to every single person affected by this scandal' on behalf of the company and admitted 'as an organisation we let them down'. He vowed to do 'everything in my power' to make sure that affected branch operators received the redress they were entitled to, as soon as possible.
The report, which follows 225 days of inquiry hearings with 298 witnesses, did not detail the total compensation paid out so far. According to the government, more than £1bn had been paid out to more than 7,300 post office operators by 9 June.
No date has yet been set for the publication of volume two of Williams's findings, which will cover the technical issues with the Horizon IT system, the Post Office's handling of the reported discrepancies, legal proceedings against post office operators, institutional culture and government oversight. It could come as late as next year.
Williams's report contained 17 case illustrations, including that of Millie Castleton, who was eight when the Post Office alleged that her father, Lee Castleton, was liable for shortfalls at his branch and his contract was terminated. He was later ordered to pay the Post Office £25,858.95 plus interest and their legal costs, a total sum of £309,807.94.
Millie recounted that she became the target of bullying at school, where she was asked: 'Didn't your dad steal loads of money or something?' At 17, she was suffering from depression and was diagnosed with anorexia, and was forced by illness to 'take a year out' at university. At one point she was admitted to hospital with heart-related problems.
'That nagging voice in my head … still tells me that my past and my family's struggle will define me,' Millie said. 'I'm 26 and … I'm still fighting, as are many hundreds involved in the Post Office trial.'
The scandal was exposed after years of campaigning and media investigations but was brought to the attention of many people by the ITV dramatisation Mr Bates vs the Post Office.
Days after the series aired in January last year, the government announced plans to legislate to exonerate those who had been wrongly prosecuted, and the bill was passed in June.
The chancellor, Rachel Reeves, said in her debut budget last October that the government had set aside £1.8bn to cover all compensation claims. The government is the sole shareholder of the Post Office and is therefore responsible for paying out. Compensation payments have so far ranged from £10,000 to more than £1m.
The postal minister, Gareth Thomas, said: 'Sir Wyn's … recommendations are immensely helpful as a guide for what is needed to finish the job, and we will respond in full to parliament after carefully considering them.'
In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email [e-mail] or [e-mail]. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counsellor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org