Hundreds of innocent sub-postmasters wrongly convicted as a result of the Horizon scandal will have convictions quashed following landmark legislation.
- Government introduces new legislation to automatically quash convictions relating to the Horizon Scandal
- £75,000 redress payment extended to ensure swift and fairer redress for postmasters who weren’t convicted but suffered as a result of the scandal
- Comes as £179 million paid to around 2,800 victims so far with further measures introduced to accelerate payments
Hundreds of innocent sub-postmasters wrongly convicted as a result of the Horizon scandal will have convictions quashed following landmark legislation introduced today [Wednesday 13 March].
This blanket exoneration, delivered through the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Bill, will quash convictions brought about by erroneous Horizon evidence, clearing the names of many people who have had their lives ruined.
Affected sub-postmasters will receive an interim payment with the option of immediately taking a fixed and final offer of £600,000, so that they can finally begin to rebuild their lives.
Under the proposed Bill, convictions will be automatically quashed if they meet the following criteria:
- Were prosecuted by the Post Office or Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
- Were for offences carried out in connection with Post Office business between 1996 and 2018.
- Were for relevant offences such as theft, fraud and false accounting.
- Were against sub-postmasters, their employees, officers, family members or direct employees of the Post Office working in a Post Office that used the Horizon system software.
Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak MP, said:
I want to pay tribute to all the postmasters who have shown such courage and perseverance in their fierce campaign for justice, and to those who tragically won’t see the justice they deserve.
While I know that nothing can make up for what they’ve been through, today’s legislation marks an important step forward in finally clearing their names.
We owe it to the victims of this scandal who have had their lives and livelihoods callously torn apart, to deliver the justice they’ve fought so long and hard for, and to ensure nothing like this ever happens again.”
The Government has also confirmed it will bring forward enhanced financial redress for postmasters who were not convicted, or part of legal action against the Post Office, but who still suffered considerably due to Horizon failures. These individuals, also known as the Horizon Shortfall Scheme cohort, will have the option to receive a fixed sum payment of £75,000.
Those who have already settled for less money will have their redress topped up to this level bringing them in line with the successful approach taken for members of the Group Litigation Order group of postmasters.
The Department for Business and Trade will now be responsible for delivering the new Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme which will make redress payments to those who have had their convictions quashed by today’s legislation. The aim is to have the scheme open for applications as soon as possible once the legislation has been passed.
The Horizon IT Scandal is one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in our nation’s history which dates back to the 1990s, and this Government has gripped it to right the wrongs of the past. But this doesn’t come from a standing start – the Government has spent years getting us to this point.
In February 2020, the Government launched the independent Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry to get to the bottom of what happened and ensure it can never happen again. The first government-funded compensation payment was paid out via the Horizon Shortfall Scheme in March 2021 and – since then – it has paid out around 60% of all claims. This amounts to around £179 million to over 2,800 claimants – but this legislation will speed up justice and get the rightful redress for victims much more rapidly.
The Bill will extend and apply to England and Wales. The Government will continue to work closely with their counterparts in Scotland and Northern Ireland as they develop their own plans. Regardless of where or how convictions are quashed, redress will be paid to victims across the whole of the UK on the same basis.
The Horizon Compensation Advisory Board’s Chair, Professor Christopher Hodges, said:
The Government has taken rapid and decisive action to address the widespread injustice to which we drew attention in December.
We also welcome the Government’s decision to take direct responsibility for delivering fair compensation to those whose convictions are overturned.”
The Government acknowledges the risk that this legislation could quash convictions of people who were genuinely guilty of a crime. In line with the wishes of campaigners the Government will make all efforts to ensure this is targeted on those wrongly convicted and make sure nobody who defrauded the system is able to access taxpayer-funded compensation.
Before receiving financial redress, sub-postmasters will be required to sign a legal statement vowing that they did not commit the crime for which they were originally convicted. Any person found to have signed a statement falsely in order to gain financial redress may be guilty of fraud.
The Government will continue to push this legislation through Parliament with the aim of achieving Royal Assent as soon as possible ahead of summer recess. Redress will be delivered as swiftly as possible after the quashing of convictions are processed.
The Horizon Compensation Advisory Board, which includes long time parliamentary campaigners on this issue such as Lord Arbuthnot, Professor Christopher Hodges and Kevan Jones MP, has warmly welcomed the proposed legislation.
