Will the Post Office face legal action

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Will the Post Office face legal action if people have been wrongly imprisoned and fined in relation to Horizon accounting system?

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Computer Weekly has been following the plight of Sub-Postmasters that allege they have been falsely accused and found guilty of false accounting. Some have even been sent to prison, others have been fined and lives have been ruined.

Despite years of allegations that the Horizon system - which was developed by ICL/Fujitsu Services - is at fault for many accounting shortfalls, the Post Office has unrelentingly defended it.

Then Computer Weekly reporter Rebecca Thomson picked up the story originally and published this in 2009.

Computer Weekly has continued to follow the case. We have been contacted by a few subpostmasters that have had similar issues affect them. A pressure group has been set up known as the subpostmastersalliance and a group of MP's have taken up the case. Last night after the interim report was published the national newspapers were all over it. No mention of Computer Weekly, which was digging into this in 2008.

The MPs representing constituents that were affected managed to eventually convince the Post Office to look at this closely. The result was an amnesty for people to come forward with evidence and the investigation was taken up by independent company Second Sight.
The interim report was published yesterday. Although Horizon itself appears, from the investigation so far, to have worked properly, the interim report has raised concerns over unreliable hardware, exceptionally complex systems, a lack of proper training and support, and a business model that put responsibility for software problems on the subpostmaster.

If it is proved that these subpostmasters have had their lives ruined will the Post Office have a bog compensation bill on its hands?

If the interim report is accurate in that the software itself is not at fault but some of the processes around it are, it is a reminder to businesses that a system is not a solution to a business challenge but just part it.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Statement from Jo Swinson on Parliament TV NOW

[UnhappyGremlin]

Absolutely.

There is at least on ex-postmaster that lost his house as a result of this (so I've been told, so if it can be proven that he is completely innocent, then I'd expect that he would be suing POL, if they don't voluntarily reimburse him. As well as the losses he has incurred, he could have them for anything and everything up to defamation of character, undue stress and mental anguish etc. Shouldn't struggle to find a solicitor willing to take the case.

[subbie]

The Post Office is the subject of a class action being conducted on a no win no basis by a big law firm Shoosmiths, this report is simply at the beginning stages, it has a long way to run, it will cost the Post Office (read Government) millions in compensation. People have been sent to prison over this.

The Postmasters contract is clear, a Postmaster can only be held liable for losses caused by his own carelessness, negligence, or error, now we have prima face evidence that these losses potentially have been caused by technical error, and not by the Postmaster at all.

However these things are best sorted "out of Court".

If this was a Bank or a Newspaper the cops would be involved by now.

subbie

[UnhappyGremlin]

The Post Office is the subject of a class action being conducted on a no win no basis by a big law firm Shoosmiths, this report is simply at the beginning stages, it has a long way to run, it will cost the Post Office (read Government) millions in compensation. People have been sent to prison over this.

The Postmasters contract is clear, a Postmaster can only be held liable for losses caused by his own carelessness, negligence, or error, now we have prima face evidence that these losses potentially have been caused by technical error, and not by the Postmaster at all.

However these things are best sorted "out of Court".

If this was a Bank or a Newspaper the cops would be involved by now.

subbie

Only best solved with out of court settlements if that suits those affected.
First, I'd demand full restitution for losses, and further compensation, and a full written apology, acknowledging my innocence. From the top bods, not an unknown 'local' manager either. Possibly a press release in the publications that no doubt derided them when found guilty/sacked etc.