- By Nick Edser, Michael Race & Chris Mason
- BBC News
Hundreds of sub-postmasters convicted within the Post Office Horizon scandal ought to be capable of submit a mass enchantment, a former cupboard minister has mentioned.
Sir David Davis, who’s searching for to query ministers in regards to the challenge, informed the BBC there was “no actual motive” why there couldn’t be a “mass case”.
Labour chief Sir Keir Starmer has additionally mentioned all instances have to be revisited.
It comes as ministers met on Monday to think about methods of clearing the names of a whole bunch of sub-postmasters.
Between 1999 and 2015, greater than 700 Post Office department managers have been convicted of false accounting, theft and fraud primarily based on the defective Horizon software program.
Some sub-postmasters wrongfully went to jail, many have been financially ruined. Some have since died.
It has been described as probably the most widespread miscarriage of justice in British historical past, however thus far solely 93 convictions have been overturned and of them, simply 30 individuals have agreed “full and ultimate” compensation settlements, which means many victims are nonetheless preventing to clear their names.
Some 54 instances have resulted in both a conviction being upheld, individuals being refused permission to enchantment, or the person interesting having withdrawn from the method.
While the scandal has been public information for a while with a public inquiry ongoing, an ITV drama – Mr Bates vs The Post Office – which aired final week has thrust the difficulty again into the highlight.
Speaking to the BBC, Sir David mentioned the drama had galvanised the response to the scandal. “There are actually tens of hundreds of thousands of people that care about this – care lots,” he mentioned. “They’re livid in lots of instances.”
At current, all instances are thought of individually, however Sir David mentioned: “All of the instances rely on one single lie, and that’s no person however the postmasters and mistresses may access their computer systems. We now know that to be unfaithful. I see no actual motive, no logical motive you may’t have a mass case, mass enchantment on that foundation.”
Sir David and Labour MP Kevan Jones are amongst these hoping to scrutinise a minister within the House of Commons, which is reassembling on Monday for the primary time because the Christmas recess.
Sir Keir Starmer, a former Director of Public Prosecutions, has mentioned that each one convictions have to be checked out once more, and prosecution powers needs to be taken away from the Post Office.
Sir Keir mentioned: “I used to run the Crown Prosecution Service, we have prosecuted for different departments, we are able to do it right here – that needs to be finished straightaway.
“And these convictions, the remaining convictions have to be checked out en masse.”
The Post Office, which is wholly owned by the federal government, acted because the prosecutor when it introduced the instances in opposition to its sub-postmasters. It has the facility in England and Wales to take action, and its appointed legal professionals introduced the proof in courtroom.
The scenario is completely different in Scotland and in Northern Ireland.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has mentioned the federal government is reviewing choices, together with stripping the Post Office of its position within the enchantment course of, and can be easy methods to pace up the compensation course of, amid issues it has been far too gradual.
On Monday, a petition calling for the previous Post Office chief government, Paula Vennells, to lose her CBE over the scandal handed a couple of million signatures.
Tracy Felstead and Janet Skinner, sub-postmistresses who have been each jailed in reference to the scandal, informed the BBC Ms Vennells ought to relinquish her CBE.
“To be honest, and if she had any decency she would simply hand it again,” Ms Skinner mentioned.
Ms Vennells has mentioned beforehand that she stays “actually sorry for the struggling induced to wrongly prosecuted sub-postmasters and their households”.
She mentioned: “I proceed to completely assist and give attention to co-operating with the [public] inquiry and it might be inappropriate for me to remark additional whereas it stays ongoing.”
Janet Skinner (left) and Tracy Felstead (proper) have been each victims of the scandal
Ms Felstead additionally mentioned she wish to see “somebody held accountable”.
“We have been classed as criminals by the Post Office,” she mentioned. “Now it’s their flip to be investigated and discover out who knew what, why and when this all occurred.”
The advisory board overseeing compensation for victims additionally renewed a name on Monday for all Post Office workers wrongly accused of theft and false accounting to have their convictions overturned.
Its chairman, Prof Chris Hodges, informed the BBC: “We’ve come to the conclusion that the plain factor to do is the proper factor to do, which is for parliament to move a quite simple act, overturning all of them.”
He argued that overturning all convictions wouldn’t encroach upon the independence of the judiciary
“This is just not a scenario through which anybody would complain that the federal government is breaching anybody’s human rights,” mentioned Prof Hodges.
He added that he can be “very shocked” if the judiciary “weren’t as offended and certainly embarrassed in regards to the scenario as all of us are, so I do not assume that there’s a constitutional challenge”.
Image supply, ITV/REX/Shutterstock
ITV’s drama has thrown the Post Office scandal again into the highlight
Last month, Prof Hodges mentioned that whereas “a small minority” have been “probably genuinely responsible of one thing”, it might be “value acquitting just a few responsible individuals (who’ve already been punished) so as to ship justice to the bulk”.
However, former sub-postmistress Ms Felstead informed the BBC that whereas the method of serving to former sub-postmasters wanted to be sped up, she cautioned in opposition to a mass exoneration.
“I feel we have to be actually cautious that we’re not simply going to go and switch all people’s convictions over, simply in case you might have that one person that has dedicated against the law and you have simply turned over their conviction,” she mentioned.
A Post Office spokesperson has beforehand mentioned it shares the “goals of the general public inquiry to get to the reality of what went mistaken prior to now and set up accountability”.
This Panorama particular tells the story of these whose lives have been completely devastated, reveals the damning proof that was stored from them and investigates how and why the Post Office, a multinational tech firm and the federal government lined up the reality for thus lengthy. (UK solely)
