Post Office hero Alan Bates attacks 'quasi kangaroo courts' payouts system and reveals 'take it or leave it' offer he's been handed

Daily Mail​

25-05-2025

Post Office hero Sir Alan Bates has accused the government of running a 'quasi kangaroo court' payout system for victims of the Horizon scandal.
More than 900 sub-postmasters were prosecuted between 1999 and 2015 after faulty accounting software made it look as though money was missing from their accounts.
Hundreds are still waiting for payouts despite the previous government announcing that those who have had convictions quashed are eligible for £600,000.
Now Mr Bates, who led the sub-postmasters' campaign for justice, has attacked the government for 'reneging' on assurances given when the compensation schemes were set up.
He said the Department for Business and Trade had promised they would be 'non-legalistic' but this turned out to be 'worthless'.
It comes as the 70-year-old revealed that he had been handed a 'take it or leave it' compensation offer of less than half his original claim.
Mr Bates said the first offer, made in January last year, was just one sixth of what he was asking for, adding that it rose to a third in the second offer.
He has now been given a 'final take it or leave it offer' - which he said amounts to 49.2 per cent of his original claim.
Mr Bates told The Sunday Times: 'The sub-postmaster compensation schemes have been turned into quasi-kangaroo courts in which the Department for Business and Trade sits in judgement of the claims and alters the goal posts as and when it chooses.
'Claims are, and have been, knocked back on the basis that legally you would not be able to make them, or that the parameters of the scheme do not extend to certain items.'
Mr Bates said he has now lost confidence in the whole process and that he wants a new framework for assessing compensation for victims of public scandals.
He has called for the creation of an independent body who would monitor the claims and see the government have little involvement.
Last September he received a knighthood from Princess Anne at Windsor Castle for exposing the Horizon IT scandal.
Mr Bates was the figurehead in the decades-long campaign to have his colleagues' names cleared and win compensation.
He and his wife Lady Suzanne Sercombe bought a post office and haberdashery in Llandudno, Wales, in 1998.
The Horizon IT system was installed in October 2000 and within two months financial discrepancies were showing up.
Sir Alan insisted they were not his fault and refused to pay the shortfall.
His contract was terminated in November 2003 and, while he was not prosecuted, he lost the £65,000 he had invested in the business.
In 2009, Computer Weekly broke the story of the Post Office scandal, featuring Sir Alan and six other victims, and he founded the Justice For Subpostmasters Alliance.
Just 20 people turned up to the group's first meeting, but it soon mushroomed into a high-profile campaign that ultimately led to group litigation against the shamed Post Office, and the ongoing public inquiry.
It comes as it was revealed this week hundreds of former sub-postmasters will be compensated by after bungling officials accidentally leaked their names and addresses on its website.
In a staggering data breach, the Mail revealed last June how 555 Post Office victims had their personal details published on the company's website.
It was described as an insult to injury by those whose lives have already been ruined by being falsely accused of stealing in Britain's biggest ever miscarriage of justice.
The 555 former postmasters whose home addresses have been published were among the group involved in bringing High Court class litigation against the Post Office in 2019.
According to the BBC, the individuals whose personal details were leaked will be compensated in what could cost the Post Office up to £2.8million.
In a statement provided to the public broadcaster, the Post Office said victims would receive £5,000 or £3,500, depending on whether the address published last year was current, although higher claims may still be pursued.
The statement said: 'We have written to all named individuals either directly, or via their solicitors.
'If there are any individuals whose name was impacted by last year's breach, but who have not received information about the payment for some reason, they can contact us or ask their solicitors if they have legal representation.'
Chris Head, the youngest former sub-postmaster of the Horizon IT scandal, told MailOnline he 'welcomed' the compensation, but added: 'It's taken far too long.'
The 37-year-old told MailOnline: 'It was brought into the spotlight by the media in June 2024 - and nearly a year later it's only being resolved now.
'You just can't believe what the Post Office would make such a basic mistake.
'When we are talking about a confidential settlement agreement made out of court, that should never have made public, especially around such a sensitive topic.
'If we are looking on why it had such an impact, based on the original scandal and the further impact, I don't think Post Office realised the level of impact it had.
'This is not just an ordinary breach, this was on top of what people have been through over the last 25 years - all suffered at the hands of the Post Office.'
A Department for Business and Trade spokesman said: 'We pay tribute to all the postmasters who have suffered from this scandal, including Sir Alan for his tireless campaign for justice, and we have quadrupled the total amount paid to postmasters since entering government.
'We recognise there will be an absence of evidence given the length of time that has passed, and we therefore aim to give the benefit of the doubt to postmasters as far as possible.
'Anyone unhappy with their offer can have their case reviewed by a panel of experts, which is independent of the government.'