Postmasters acquitted after Horizon IT case

By Liz Wells in Industry News 14th December 2020

Six former postmasters have been acquitted after they were wrongly accused of theft, fraud and false accounting following the introduction of the Horizon IT system in to post offices.

Their cases were referred by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) earlier this year, in uncontested appeals. The Post Office informed the court in October that it would not oppose the appeals, which related to convictions in Magistrates’ Courts between 2003-2013.

A Post Office spokesman said: “Post Office did not oppose these appeals and sincerely apologises for historical failings. We have taken determined action to address the past, ensuring there is redress for those affected and to prevent such events ever happening again.

“Fundamental reforms have been made to forge a new relationship with postmasters, helping them to build thriving post office businesses for customers and communities throughout the UK.”

The Post Office has also set up an extensive disclosure exercise, by external criminal law specialists, to identify material that might affect the safety of any relevant historical prosecutions.

The government is set to hold its Horizon inquiry next year.