LTB 116/21 Post Office – Postmasters: Horizon Inquiry – Court of Appeal and Government Bail-Out for Historical Shortfall Scheme
No. 116/2021
23rd March 2021
Dear Colleagues
POST OFFICE: POSTMASTERS: HORIZON INQUIRY – COURT OF APPEAL AND
GOVERNMENT BAIL-OUT FOR HISTORICAL SHORTFALL SCHEME
Branches are advised that a 5 day hearing is being held from 22nd March for the main
group of 42 appellants (former Postmasters and victims of the Horizon scandal) asking for
their convictions to be overturned. There are 2 limbs to the appeal when it comes to
wrongful convictions based on an abuse of process:
- Limb 1 is the lack of disclosure of vital evidence. The Post Office have conceded
they are guilty of Limb 1 in the majority of the cases before the Court of Appeal.
Limb 2 is the prosecutions were an affront to the public conscience. This is much
more serious as it means the Post Office knew they should not be bringing the
prosecutions but chose to do so anyway. The Post Office is resisting Limb 2 in all
but 4 of the 42 convictions before the Court.
overturned last December at Southwark Crown Court. These cases had been referred by
the CCRC and were heard at the Crown Court rather than the Court of Appeal as the 6
Postmasters were originally convicted at magistrates Courts. Crucially the Post Office did
not contest any of the appeals. LTB 594/20 dated 14th December 2020 refers.
The Court of Appeal’s deliberations has already featured highly across mainstream
broadcasting and wider media (indeed there was a feature on yesterday’s Radio 4 Today
programme). Clearly the Post Office is under immense scrutiny once again over this
appalling scandal.
Very long, read more at the link.