Justice Delayed: Subpostmaster Scandal Sparks Outrage

Jo Hamilton, a former subpostmistress who was wrongly accused and convicted of theft and false accounting, is still fighting for justice for herself and over 900 other subpostmasters who were prosecuted between 1999 and 2015. Hamilton, who is now 68, has written a memoir, Why Are You Here, Mrs Hamilton?, in the hopes of keeping the scandal in the spotlight until all the victims receive due compensation. She believes that the Department for Business and Trade is dragging its heels to pay the remaining victims, despite the Government announcing that over £1 billion has been paid out to over 7,300 postmasters affected by the Horizon IT scandal.

Key Takeaways:

• Over 900 subpostmasters were prosecuted between 1999 and 2015 for offences including theft, fraud, and false accounting due to the faulty Horizon IT system.
• More than 230 subpostmasters were sent to prison and 2,800 were ordered to pay back money to escape prosecution in the scandal, described as the UK's largest ever miscarriage of justice.
• Jo Hamilton, a former subpostmistress, was wrongly accused and convicted of theft and false accounting, but her conviction was quashed in 2021.
• Hamilton and others who have settled with the Post Office feel survivors' guilt, as the Justice for Subpostmasters Alliance (JFSA) was instrumental in getting convictions quashed and compensation for many.
• The Government announced in June that over £1 billion has been paid out to over 7,300 postmasters affected by the Horizon IT scandal, but Hamilton believes the Department for Business and Trade is dragging its heels to pay the remaining victims.
• Hamilton is still campaigning for justice and hopes her memoir will encourage others to keep fighting for what is right.
• She is particularly outraged that the Department for Business and Trade is spending millions of pounds on lawyers to fight against paying compensation, rather than simply settling with the victims.

Statistics:

• Over 900 subpostmasters were prosecuted between 1999 and 2015 for offences related to the faulty Horizon IT system.
• 230 subpostmasters were sent to prison in the scandal.
• 2,800 subpostmasters were ordered to pay back money to escape prosecution.
• Over £1 billion has been paid out to over 7,300 postmasters affected by the Horizon IT scandal.
• 550 subpostmasters it took to fund the court case that got many convictions quashed.
• £20 is the price of Hamilton's memoir.

Sources:

• The book Why Are You Here, Mrs Hamilton? The Post Office Scandal And My Extraordinary Fight For Justice by Jo Hamilton, published by Blink.
• ITV drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office.
• The Horizon Inquiry.
• Email from Darren Jones, chief secretary to the Treasury, to Hamilton.