Update law on computer evidence to avoid Horizon repeat, ministers urged

When post office operators were accused of having stolen money, the evidence of the Horizon system was deemed sufficient proof. Photograph: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Ministers need to “immediately” update the law to acknowledge that computers are fallible or risk a repeat of the Horizon scandal, legal experts say.

In English and Welsh law, computers are assumed to be “reliable” unless proven otherwise. But critics of this approach say this reverses the burden of proof normally applied in criminal cases.