Alan Bates, the former subpostmaster who brought the Post Office to its knees, has hailed new government plans to exonerate victims of the Horizon IT scandal.
The 68-year-old has led a decades-long fight for justice for subpostmasters convicted of swindling money on the basis of evidence from the flawed accounting system.
Mr Bates was played by actor Toby Jones in the new ITV drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office, which has re-sparked national outrage about the scandal.
His own life was turned upside down by a £7,200 shortfall found at the business he bought in 1998 in Llandudno, North Wales. He went on to found the Justice for Subpostmasters Alliance (JFSA) in 2009 and after decades of tireless campaigning, won a high court victory against the Post Office in 2019.
Responding to Rishi Sunak’s announcement over new legislation to swiftly exonerate those who were wrongfully convicted, Mr Bates said it was “about time”.
The announcement on Wednesday also outlined the introduction of a new upfront payment of £75,000 in compensation to affected victims, stating that the government will “make sure that the truth comes to light”.
“It’s about time, this was the decent thing to do,” Mr Bates told The Times. “We’ve got the whole country behind us now.”
Alan Bates added that he was not yet celebrating as he and over 1,000 others wrongly accused postmasters are yet to receive their full and final compensation— (ITV PLC)
However, he added that he was not yet celebrating as he and over 1,000 other wrongly accused postmasters are yet to receive their full and final compensation.
He told the newspaper: “There’s still a lot of work to do. Once a job’s done, the job’s done, and we can relax a bit — but we’re not there yet.”
Victims have long been campaigning for exoneration, pointing to the reputational, emotional and mental trauma they experienced during this period.
The government has not yet announced a timetable for the introduction of the “unprecedented” legislation but postal minister Kevin Hollinrake told MPs on Wednesday it would be introduced “within weeks”.
Mr Hollinrake also confirmed that the UK government is now liaising with devolved authorities in Scotland and Northern Ireland about the next steps.
Post Office minister Kevin Hollinrake told MPs on Wednesday the new legislation would be introduced ‘within weeks’— (PA Wire)
Ministers denied they had acted because of public anger over the ITV programme Mr Bates vs the Post Office. But No 10 suggested that Mr Bates could receive an honour for his campaign for justice, just a day after former Post Office boss Paula Vennells finally bowed to intense public pressure and returned her CBE.
The scandal began when Japanese tech firm Fujitsu’s faulty Horizon accounting software made it appear as though money was missing from Post Office branches. Subpostmasters were forced to pay back many thousands of pounds, while hundreds were convicted based on the faults.
It has been described by the prime minister as “one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in our nation’s history”.
Some post office staff wrongly accused went to prison, lost their homes, were forced to move abroad to find employment or even sadly attempted suicide.
There has however been some backlash following Mr Sunak’s announcement in the Commons on Wednesday as the law creates a risk that some who did steal are exonerated, although it is understood the government believes that would be a small number.
Mr Sunak said the wrongly accused postmasters were victims of ‘one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in our nation’s history’— (Reuters)
To minimise the risk they will be asked to sign a statement swearing they did not commit the crimes, meaning they can still be prosecuted at a later date.
Former attorney general Dominic Grieve said he had “mixed feelings” about government overriding the judiciary.
He said: “It is a precedent that causes me considerable discomfort because it is contrary to an absolute principle of the rule of law – which is parliament may legislate but the application of the law is not for parliament itself ... but I do accept that it may be the only solution.”
Former director of public prosecutions Ken Macdonald KC also said he had “concerns”, warning “some people who are in fact guilty will be exonerated”.
Jo Hamilton, who was wrongfully convicted in 2008 of stealing thousands of pounds from the village shop she ran in Hampshire, said the £75,000 payments showed Mr Sunak was “out of touch”.
The money “wouldn’t even cover the interest on what has been stolen from them”, she said.
Another victim Vijay Parekh, who served 18 months in prison, said the previously announced compensation of £600,000 would still leave some out of pocket.
He told GB News: “I’m glad that they’ve announced it, but that £600,000 they’re talking about – there’s people who have lost more than just £600,000.”
He said those responsible for causing the scandal should face justice: “We’ve done nothing, and we’ve been in prison. They have done something, so they need to be in prison because of what they’ve done.”
