Post Office scandal report ‘shows full scale of horror unleashed on victims'
Jo Hamilton was falsely prosecuted for a shortfall of £36,000 at her Post Office branch in South Warnborough, Hampshire, in 2006.
A first tranche of the public inquiry's final report into the scandal, published on Tuesday, laid bare the devastating consequences for victims and their families, from police investigations to convictions and imprisonment.
Between 1999 and 2015, approximately 1,000 subpostmasters were prosecuted after faulty Horizon accounting software made it look as though money was missing from their accounts.
The report said 59 victims of the scandal contemplated suicide with 10 attempting to take their own lives.
Inquiry chairman Sir Wyn Williams said there was a 'real possibility' 13 people took their own lives as a result of the suffering they endured during the scandal.
Other details in the report detailed impacts including bankruptcy and relationship breakdowns.
Speaking following the report's publication, Ms Hamilton – who was made an Officer of the British Empire (OBE) for services to justice – said it is 'really important'.
She added: 'It shows the full scale of the horror that they unleashed on us. You know, we were just decent people trying to do a day's work for our community.'
Sir Wyn, who said around 10,000 people are eligible to submit compensation claims, urged the Government to establish a public body to devise, administer and deliver compensation to those wronged by authorities.
Ms Hamilton said that was a 'necessary' recommendation which she would like to see implemented immediately.
'The Government shouldn't be anywhere near this because they actually owned the Post Office which perpetrated the crime and they must have been aware what was going on. So I think they should be taken out of it altogether.'
Asked about her hopes for the future, she said: 'I have a sneaky feeling that this will run right through next year, because that's the way things are, but I really hope not, because so many people are dying.
'You know, we've lost, I think 350 is the number, and 100 of the GLO (Group Litigation Order) group aren't here any more, and there's still 138 of them to be paid which is incredible.'
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