Latest news with #Ex-PostOffice
Scottish Sun
08-07-2025
- Scottish Sun
Tragedy of Post Office scandal laid bare as shock report finds 13 workers took own lives & 59 others considered suicide
Workers wrongly accused of theft following IT glitch LET DOWN Tragedy of Post Office scandal laid bare as shock report finds 13 workers took own lives & 59 others considered suicide Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE full scale of the Post Office scandal has been revealed after a bombshell report found 13 workers tragically took their own lives. At least 59 other postmasters considered suicide after they were falsely accused of wrongdoing due to the faulty Horizon system. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 The first part of the Post Office inquiry has been released Credit: Getty 4 Sir Wyn concluded both the Post Office and Horizon developers Fujitsu knew the data could be false Credit: PA Others suffered from alcoholism and mental health disorders, while some workers were subjected to divorce, bankruptcy and personal abuse. Around 1,000 people were wrongly prosecuted and convicted throughout the UK between 1999 and 2015 as a result of the faulty Fujitsu software. They were accused of false accounting, theft and fraud over the scandal, which had a "disastrous" impact on sub-postmasters. A long inquiry into the IT blunder found that postmasters and their families should be regarded as "victims of wholly unacceptable behaviour". Chairman Sir Wyn Williams concluded both the Post Office and Horizon developers Fujitsu knew the data could be false. Senior employees were also aware that the Horizon IT system could produce accounts "which were illusory rather than real" even before it was rolled out to branches. Sir Wyn said: "I am satisfied from the evidence that I have heard that a number of senior, and not so senior, employees of the Post Office knew or, at the very least, should have known that Legacy Horizon was capable of error. "Yet, for all practical purposes, throughout the lifetime of Legacy Horizon, the Post Office maintained the fiction that its data was always accurate." Sir Wyn said around 10,000 people are eligible to submit compensation claims following what has been dubbed as the worst miscarriage of justice in British legal history. Lead campaigner and former subpostmistress Jo Hamilton said the report "shows the full scale of the horror that they unleashed on us". Watch emotional moment Britain's Got Talent judges are wowed by choir formed by Post Office scandal survivors The scandal was propelled into the spotlight in January last year following ITV drama Mr Bates Vs The Post Office. The show centred around Sir Alan Bates - former sub-postmaster and founder of the Justice for Subpostmasters Alliance. Ex-Post Office chief executive Paula Vennells is accused of overseeing a huge number of wrongful prosecutions and convictions. Sir Wyn's 162-page report criticised the "unnecessarily adversarial attitude" of the Post Office and its advisers towards making compensation offers to victims. It also said the organisation and the Government "simply failed to grasp how difficult it would be to provide appropriate financial redress." Sir Wyn also singled out the behaviour of Post Office investigators, saying subpostmasters "will have been in wholly unfamiliar territory and they will have found the experience to be troubling at best and harrowing at worst". The publication of the first part of the report today focused solely on the devastating impact of the scandal on victims and the compensation offered to subpostmasters. A further report potentially attributing blame is expected at a later date. In a statement, the Post Office said: "The inquiry has brought to life the devastating stories of those impacted by the Horizon Scandal. "Their experiences represent a shameful period in our history. "Today, we apologise unreservedly for the suffering which Post Office caused to postmasters and their loved ones. "We will carefully consider the report and its recommendations." If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the Samaritans for free on 116123. 4 Ex-Post Office chief executive Paula Vennells was stripped of her CBE Credit: PA
Daily Record
08-07-2025
- Daily Record
13 people feared to have taken their own lives over Horizon Post Office scandal
On top of this a total of 59 victims of the Horizon scandal contemplated suicide with 10 attempting to take their own lives, the report by Sir Wyn Williams said. There was a "real possibility" that 13 people took their own lives because of the Horizon Post Office scandal, a report by the public inquiry has said. Another 59 victims of the Horizon scandal contemplated suicide with 10 attempting to take their own lives, the report by Sir Wyn Williams said. The report also said Post Office bosses should have known Horizon was faulty but 'maintained the fiction that its data was always accurate' when prosecuting subpostmasters. Williams said 'a number of senior' people at the organisation were aware the Horizon system was capable of errors He said around 10,000 people are eligible to submit compensation claims following what has been dubbed as the worst miscarriage of justice in British legal history. The scandal was propelled into the spotlight in January last year after ITV's drama Mr Bates Vs The Post Office, starring actor Toby Jones about Sir Alan Bates, former sub-postmaster and founder of the Justice for Subpostmasters Alliance. Ex-Post Office chief executive Paula Vennells is accused of overseeing a huge number of wrongful prosecutions and convictions. Approximately 1,000 people were wrongly prosecuted and convicted throughout the UK between 1999 and 2015 as a result of faulty Fujitsu software, with a significant number contemplating self-harm, the report said. Williams also singled out the behaviour of Post Office investigators, saying subpostmasters 'will have been in wholly unfamiliar territory and they will have found the experience to be troubling at best and harrowing at worst'. The publication of the first part of the report on Tuesday focused solely on the devastating impact of the scandal on victims and the compensation offered to subpostmasters, with a further report potentially attributing blame expected at a later date. Williams said: 'Although many of the individuals who gave evidence before me were very reluctant to accept it, I am satisfied from the evidence that I have heard that a number of senior, and not-so-senior employees of the Post Office knew or, at the very least should have known, that Legacy Horizon was capable of error. 'Yet for all practical purposes, throughout the lifetime of Legacy Horizon, the Post Office maintained the fiction that its data was always accurate.' Williams made a total of 19 recommendations as part of his report, including that the Government and the Post Office should make a public announcement about what they mean by 'full and fair redress'. He also said claimants who apply for compensation as part of the main scheme, the Horizon Shortfall Scheme, should be entitled to free legal advice. The chairman also addressed criticism of another scheme, the Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme, saying claimants should be entitled to the £600,000 fixed offer even if they submit their own detailed individual claim. Williams urged the Government to establish a public body to devise, administer and deliver compensation to those wronged by authorities. The report said the number of people eligible to submit compensation claims as part of the scandal is likely to rise 'by at least hundreds, if not more, over the coming months'. In a statement, the Post Office said: 'The inquiry has brought to life the devastating stories of those impacted by the Horizon Scandal. 'Their experiences represent a shameful period in our history. 'Today, we apologise unreservedly for the suffering which Post Office caused to postmasters and their loved ones. 'We will carefully consider the report and its recommendations.'
