Expansion of Met's Horizon investigation
The force has been looking into possible criminal offences of perjury and perverting the course of justice since 2020
There's to be a nationwide police investigation into the Post Office Horizon IT scandal, expanding on the work of the Metropolitan force.
It’s been looking into possible criminal offences of perjury and perverting the course of justice since 2020.
Detectives don't expect to bring any charges before 2026 though, because of the ongoing inquiry.
Hundreds of former sub-postmasters were wrongly convicted over faulty IT software.
Met Commander Stephen Clayman, who oversees the investigation, said:
“We understand the widespread and devastating impact the Post Office IT Horizon scandal has had on hundreds of sub-postmasters across the country.
“The Met began a criminal investigation in January 2020 focused on offences of perjury and perverting the course of justice.
“A team of detectives has been painstakingly working through millions of documents manually and with the help of specialist software, in parallel with the Public Inquiry.
“This is very time consuming and we cannot cut corners and risk missing evidence.
“Given the significant scale of the investigation, it has been agreed by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) that the next phase of the investigation will be a national policing effort, coordinated by the Met, with the pursuit of justice at its heart.
“We do not underestimate the seriousness of the task at hand and we are determined to carry out a full investigation with independence, precision and integrity.”