This is the Horizon scandal for those wondering. Where the Horizon software adopted by the UK post office would tell post masters/mistresses they were short by thousands of pounds, which the postmaster/mistress is responsible for, at the end of the month. If they couldn’t pay they would be prosecuted for theft. Post office chose to prosecute without double checking their system was actually working properly before prosecuting. Took litigation by hundreds of postmaster/mistresses to resolve but they were still responsible for thousands each in legal costs after the verdict and their names were cleared.
Oh it gets worse. Some of the posties took out loans, such as remortgaging their homes, to pay the debt, then quit the job, so the records are only available to the people running horizon. They’re having major issues getting that money back.
I never got the impression that any of those prosecuted, or who paid, were actually made whole as they should have been. At best they got a pittance and at worse they got nothing and had to pay on the legal bill. A complete miscarriage of justice no matter how you look at it.
This is the Horizon scandal for those wondering. Where the Horizon software adopted by the UK post office would tell post masters/mistresses they were short by thousands of pounds, which the postmaster/mistress is responsible for, at the end of the month. If they couldn’t pay they would be prosecuted for theft. Post office chose to prosecute without double checking their system was actually working properly before prosecuting. Took litigation by hundreds of postmaster/mistresses to resolve but they were still responsible for thousands each in legal costs after the verdict and their names were cleared.
Oh it gets worse. Some of the posties took out loans, such as remortgaging their homes, to pay the debt, then quit the job, so the records are only available to the people running horizon. They’re having major issues getting that money back.
I never got the impression that any of those prosecuted, or who paid, were actually made whole as they should have been. At best they got a pittance and at worse they got nothing and had to pay on the legal bill. A complete miscarriage of justice no matter how you look at it.