Warrington South MP urging victims of Post Office scandal to come forward

Warrington South MP, Andy Carter, is urging anyone affected by the Post Office scandal to come forward. He has not had any dealings yet with sub postmasters affected by the scandal in the town.

It comes as Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, announced plans yesterday for new legislation to clear the names of sub postmasters wrongfully convicted because of faulty accounting software.

Mr Sunak said the Horizon scandal was "one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in our nation's history".

What is Horizon?

The Horizon IT system, developed by Japanese company Fujitsu and rolled out from 1999, automated accounts after sub postmasters entered their sales figures via a touchscreen.

What problems were being caused by Horizon?

Sub postmasters started experiencing unexplained shortfalls in their accounts, and were liable for losses under their contract with the Post Office.

What happened to sub postmasters who could not pay the money back?

More than 900 sub postmasters were convicted of offences such as theft and false accounting - with many sent to prison or bankrupted.

When were the shortfalls attributed to the faulty computer software rather than sub postmasters?

In December 2019, a High Court judge ruled that Horizon contained a number of "bugs, errors and defects" and there was a "material risk" that shortfalls in Post Office branch accounts were caused by the system.

So what has happened now?

The Government will introduce new legislation to exonerate those convicted in England and Wales. Downing Street said the Bill would be introduced within weeks with the ambition of clearing people's names by the end of the year.

Have any other measures been announced?

The Government promised payments of at least £75,000 for sub postmasters involved in the group legal action led by Alan Bates, the subject of ITV's drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office, starring actor Toby Jones.

Has anyone been held criminally responsible for the miscarriage of justice?

The Metropolitan Police is looking at "potential fraud offences arising out of these prosecutions", for example, "monies recovered from sub postmasters as a result of prosecutions or civil actions".

Two Fujitsu experts, who were witnesses in the trials, are being investigated for perjury and perverting the course of justice - but nobody has been arrested since the inquiry was launched in January 2020.

What happens next?

A public inquiry looking into the failings of the Horizon system and the wrongful convictions of sub postmasters is due to finish this year.