Victims of the Post Office Capture scandal have called on Andy Burnham to “stand by his words” and speed up their bid for criminal convictions to be overturned and proper compensation awarded.
Around 30 former sub-postmasters and their families are still waiting for the courts to quash convictions related to the discredited Capture accounting system.
It was first introduced in 1992 and used by thousands of branches long before the notorious Horizon system that led to more than 900 wrongful convictions.
Following a series of investigations published in The i Paper, the Government has accepted Capture was also faulty and set up a new compensation scheme.
As of July this year, it had received at least 279 applications and the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade has now paid out more than £8.5m to those who lost money due to shortfalls.
But some victims remain unhappy with their offers, which they say does not reflect the full extent of their losses. Similar complaints have been raised repeatedly about the Horizon compensation scheme.
Former sub-postmaster Lee Bowerman told The i Paper he has been offered only 10 per cent of the amount he believes he is due.
The Government’s compensation panel indicated it did not believe Capture shortfalls had led to the loss of his business in Ebbw Vale, South Wales.
Bowerman told The i Paper he believes Burnham has shown “genuine support” for victims of scandals such as the Post Office, Hillsborough and Contaminated Blood and called on him to honour “his commitment to do right by all who suffered as a result”.
There is also continued anguish for those who were criminally prosecuted by the Post Office as they will not receive a penny until their convictions are overturned.
‘Burnham supports Hillsborough law – he must step in over Post Office scandal’
Andy Burnham with Hillsborough families outside Parliament. The Prime Minister is backing a new law which would create a statutory ‘duty of candour’ on public authorities to assist investigations (Photo: Stefan Rousseau/PA)Nigel Railton, chair of the Post Office, told MPs in January that he would support the use of parliamentary legislation to quash convictions en masse, as happened with Horizon cases.
But since then, lawyers acting for the Post Office have filed lengthy objections in the first two cases to be referred to the Court of Appeal which relate to the prosecutions of sub-postmasters Steve Marston and Patricia Owen.
Owen, who was convicted of theft in 1998, died in 2003 after many years of campaigning to clear her name.
Her daughter Juliet Shardlow has continued the fight and said she is encouraged by Burnham taking over as Prime Minister.
The MP for Makerfield has a record of supporting victims of government scandals including the Hillsborough disaster and is backing a new law which would create a statutory “duty of candour” on public authorities to assist investigations.
In his first speech in the House of Commons, Burnham referenced the Post Office scandal directly, saying: “We cannot forget that postmasters and mistresses serving communities up and down this country were branded as petty thieves, and carried that stigma with them for years.”
Shardlow told The i Paper she sees Burnham as “a man for the people” but urged him to get a grip of the department running the Post Office before it is too late for Capture victims, many of whom are elderly and in poor health.
“I see him as the best person we could get, that understands the grassroots, to be Prime Minister,” she added.
“He’s got a lot of big tests to deal with, but with this, given what he’s said about the Post Office, he’s got to stand by his words.”
Steve Marston, centre, and other former sub-postmasters meeting government officials about the Capture scandal (Photo: Tom Pilston)“The Post Office ruined my mum’s life and my dad’s life and they’re still eeking it out, they’re still not doing what they should do.
“My dad is 83 now, my mum died 23 years ago, she’d been gone that long. For it to take two years when they’ve got all the evidence, all the reports, it’s so frustrating. Andy Burnham should realise this is his Government’s department.”
Steve Marston, who was also convicted of theft and false accounting offences, added: “We’re hoping that now we have a new Prime Minister, he might take a fresh look at how unfair it is to put convicted Capture victims through the torturous and lengthy process of having to go through the CCRC [Criminal Cases Review Commission] followed by the never-ending wait to put forward our cases to the Court of Appeal.
“I would call on Andy Burnham to at least show compassion and introduce an emergency bill to exonerate Capture victims as a matter of priority.
“The only difference between victims of Horizon and Capture is the name of the flawed software we were having to use. The end results are identical.”
Former sub-postmaster offered just 10 per cent of compensation claim
The Court of Appeal has said it wants to consider Owen and Marston’s case in October but it now looks more likely it will be 2027 before there is a hearing, in part because of the Post Office’s struggle to find evidence.
The i Paper revealed earlier this year how lawyers still had not located a prosecution file and have asked the court to use 30-year-old newspaper as “the substantive basis of the prosecution”.
In statements attributed to a spokesperson, the Post Office says it believes it has an “obligation” to respond to applications to appeal convictions on a “legal and factual basis”.
A Government spokesperson said: “After more than two decades fighting for justice, postmasters and their families are finally receiving recognition and redress from the impacts of the Capture software.
“To date, £8.5m has been awarded to people affected by this scandal, and we are working tirelessly to make sure every victim gets the justice and compensation they deserve as soon as possible.”
Hence then, the article about post office capture victims fury at compensation offers as low as 10 of losses was published today ( ) and is available on inews ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Post Office Capture victims’ fury at compensation offers as low as 10% of losses )
Also on site :