Post Office scandal victim: 'I need someone to be punished'

BBC News

a day ago

Former sub-postmaster Harjinder Butoy spent more time in prison than any other victim of the Post Office Horizon IT scandal.After 18 months in jail, it then took another 15 years to clear his name. He is one of dozens of sub-postmasters who gave evidence to the official inquiry into what happened.The inquiry chair, Sir Wyn Williams, will deliver the first part of his final report on Tuesday, which will focus on the human impact of the scandal and will also look at compensation.But Mr Butoy is not sure he will be able to watch. "It's going to bring back too many bad memories for me," he told the BBC, adding he needs "someone to be punished".
The Post Office scandal is believed to be one of the biggest miscarriages of justices in UK history.Thousands of victims were wrongly blamed for financial losses from the faulty Horizon computer system which was rolled out across the Post Office branch network from 1999.More than 900 people were prosecuted and 236 were sent to prison.Mr Butoy was one of them, convicted of stealing more than £200,000 from his branch in Nottinghamshire in 2007. "We lost everything from the day I got sentenced. We lost our business. I had to declare bankruptcy. My wife and three kids had to move back in with my parents, " he says.After he was released from prison his conviction meant he struggled to find work and his health also suffered."I just want everyone to know the impact, what's happened to us all. But I also need someone to be punished and let them go to prison and feel like what we've been through," he says.His conviction was overturned in 2021. Parliament later passed a law exonerating all those who had been convicted.
'Huge day'
The inquiry heard from 189 people who gave evidence on how the scandal had turned their lives upside down.Many lost their businesses, some lost their homes, and most lost their reputations and financial security.The second part of the inquiry's report – on how the scandal happened and why – may not be published until 2026.
Although Harjinder Butoy may not be watching, Wendy Buffrey and Nichola Arch will be among dozens of victims and their families travelling to hear Sir Wyn speak as he presents Volume 1 of his report. Many more will be watching the proceedings livestreamed over the internet.Mrs Buffrey, who had a Post Office in Cheltenham, was suspended after an audit in December 2008 and prosecuted. She had to sell her house and business to pay off the alleged shortfall in her accounts, and has suffered with her mental health.She says the publication of the report is going to be "a huge day"."To actually have the establishment recognise what they've put us through is huge," she said. "The apologies we've had from the Post Office have been so mealy-mouthed, not thought through, and really not sincere."Mrs Arch, who managed the Chalford Hill branch near Stroud, says: "You would hope the government would acknowledge every detail of that report."She was accused of stealing from pensioners, shunned by her local community, and spat on outside a local supermarket.After two years she was found not guilty, "but the damage had been done by then".The impact on her family was "like a tsunami", she says. "It's like a cobweb. It just affects every single friend, family, child, you know, connected to you."
'Painful' compensation issue
For many victims of the scandal, the most pressing issue is financial redress.That's the main reason why Sir Wyn has split his report into two, to publish his findings on the progress of compensation as soon as possible.He has taken a keen interest on how redress is being delivered, holding several hearings on the issue and delivering an interim report in 2023 where he likened the various schemes to a "patchwork quilt with some holes in it"."Compensation has been a painful issue," says solicitor David Enright, from Howe & Co, which represents hundreds of wronged sub-postmasters."However, we are also hoping [the report] will remind people of what the real harm has been, and that is the shattering of families across the country. "According to the latest figures from the government, more than £1bn has been paid out in compensation to over 7,300 sub-postmasters.However, hundreds are still waiting for their final payments and many are locked in disputes over the amount they have been offered.Mr Butoy has only just submitted his claim for compensation. It has taken three years to gather all the necessary reports and paperwork. "Clearing our name was so good. But compensation is very hard. It's like they don't believe us, don't trust us."His solicitor, Neil Hudgell, whose firm also represents hundreds of other former sub-postmasters, told the BBC that if the situation doesn't improve, full and fair redress for all victims could take another two to three years.Hudgell Solicitors says it has helped more than 300 people agree damages totalling more than £170m. However, Mr Hudgell says his firm still has more than 700 cases waiting to be resolved through the various compensation schemes.Meanwhile, the police officer leading the investigation into the scandal has admitted criminal trials may not start until 2028.For Mr Butoy, and others who want to see those responsible held to account, the wait continues.