Five former postmasters who were wrongly convicted of stealing from their employer in Post Office Horizon scandal are finally cleared
- 700 post office operators were prosecuted between 1999-2015 in the scandal
Five former postmasters, who were wrongly convicted of stealing from their employer because of a flaw in the IT system, were finally cleared in court today.
Ian Davies, 61, Andrew Gilbertson, 54, Therese Gooding, 62, Elaine Hood and Amer Hussain had their convictions quashed after referrals by the Criminal Cases Review Commission
The so-called Horizon scandal resulted in more than 700 post office operators being prosecuted between 1999 and 2015 for theft, fraud and false accounting because of faulty accounting software.
Last week, the government announced every wrongly convicted post office operator will receive £600,000 in compensation.
Judge Tony Baumgartner said: ‘The appeal is brought on the basis that it is now known that there were a number of bugs, errors and defects in the Horizon system not properly investigated or disclosed at the time of the prosecutions and which had the potential to render the evidence unreliable.’
The so-called Horizon scandal resulted in more than 700 post office operators being prosecuted between 1999 and 2015 for theft, fraud and false accounting because of faulty accounting software
Davies had admitted three charges of false accounting at Swansea Magistrates Court on October 10, 2006. He was fined £500 and was ordered to pay £1,171 in prosecution costs.
Simon Baker, prosecuting, said: ‘His conviction was referred to this court by the CCRC on 13 June 2023.
‘The respondent accepts that the only evidence in Mr Davies’ case that the branch had suffered from shortfalls was based on the Horizon system.
‘As such the reliability of Horizon was essential to his prosecution and the Respondent cannot now exclude the possibility that the shortfalls were caused by errors in Horizon.’
Gilberton was a counter clerk at a Post Office in Higher Openshaw, Manchester, until he took over the franchise.
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He admitted theft of £24,870 at Manchester Magistrates Court on March 19, 2002 and was later sentenced to six months in prison suspended for two years.
Gooding admitted theft and three of false accounting on March 19, 2001 at Wirral Magistrates Court. She was sentenced to 200 hours community punishment.
Hood pleaded guilty to five charges of theft at Derby Crown Court on June 19, 2003.
She was ordered to complete 120 hours of community service and had to pay £950 in prosecution costs.
Amer Hussain worked as a clerk in a Bristol based Post Office.
He admitted to eight counts of theft, amounting to £3,367, and was later sentenced to a Community Punishment and Curfew Order at Bristol Magistrates’ Court.
Hussain also had to pay £6,746 in compensation, and £200 towards prosecution costs.
His was the 64th CCRC referral sent to the appeal courts related to the Post Office Horizon scandal.
Referring to Gooding, Baker said: ‘There is no evidence to contradict Mrs Gooding’s account that her prosecution was dependent on Horizon reliability, and some evidence to support it.
‘Accordingly the Respondent accepts that Horizon reliability appeared to be essential in Mrs Gooding’s case, and therefore intends to offer no further evidence against her.’
Kate O’Raghllaigh, representing Gilbertson, Hood and Hussein, said: ‘The decision taken by the Post Office to offer no evidence is a welcome one and brings to an end a very difficult episode of their lives’.
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