Former Boldon sub postmaster Chris Head has reached a compensation settlement - 19 years after he was accused of stealing more than £80,000.
The staunch campaigner, who has also fought to get justice for hundreds of people, has promised to keep helping others in their own fight for justice.
Falsely accused in 2006
He described his settlement as ‘a fair outcome and does meet the objective of full and fair redress.”
Chris was falsely accused of stealing more than £80,000 from his branch in West Boldon, in 2006, before the criminal case against him was dropped.
Mr Head, who became the youngest sub postmaster, at the age of 18, when he took over the branch, was then pursued by the Post Office through the civil courts.
Chris made headlines when he launched an online petition calling for compensation and accountability. By January of 2024, it had received more than 400,000 signatures and he won an OBE for his efforts.
1,000 people were prosecuted between 1999 and 2015
Now, he has confirmed that his case has reached a settlement agreement and said it came ‘just before referring the case to Sir Ross Cranston, the retired judge in the scheme.”
Between 1999 and 2015, approximately 1,000 sub-postmasters were prosecuted after faulty Horizon accounting software made it look as though money was missing from their accounts.
The Post Office Inquiry chairman Sir Wyn Williams recommended the implementation of the ‘best offer’ policy which allowed people to challenge the claims without any financial risk of the offer going down.
Chris added that he would have ‘lost a substantial amount of money’ if it was not for the ‘best offer’ policy and he ‘would have had to proceed to Sir Ross, effectively with a begging bowl to recover that loss, let alone the remaining amount of the claim.’
‘There is still much to do’
He said he was ‘mindful that others are still fighting the battle’ and will continue to help them, adding that ‘there is still much to do’.
Chris has helped more than 460 people in their fight to get compensation and accountability over the Post Office Horizon row.
The issue returned to the spotlight after the screening of the Mr Bates vs The Post Office drama series.
Chris added: “It is my fear those that have just started out on the redress journey this year and those who have yet to officially start the redress process could have one to three years still to go even with expert evidence and legal advice. We must ensure that is not the case.”