‘Wrecked my life’: Horizon victims tell of suffering caused by Post Office scandal

Tom Hedges outside the Royal Courts of Justice, London, after his conviction was overturned. Photograph: Alicia Canter/The Guardian

A former post office operator who was convicted of false accounting as part of the Horizon IT scandal missed saying goodbye to his dying father because of a curfew related to his conviction.

Mohammed Rasul, who was convicted of false accounting after an audit showed a shortfall of £12,000, said he became “a recluse” and had to wear a tag for three months after receiving a suspended 12-month sentence. “I have carried the shame ever since. I refuse to carry it any longer,” he said. Rasul said he missed saying goodbye to his dying father because of his curfew.