These are the faces of the victims of the Post Office scandal who have died without justice.
No official list has been compiled of the sub-postmasters who have not lived to see their names cleared or received compensation. But by interviewing families, reviewing coverage and combing through witness statements given to the public inquiry into what is considered the greatest miscarriage of justice in British history, The Sunday Times is sharing their pictures and explaining what happened to them.
Below are the stories of 26 sub-postmasters and others, including some spouses who have died.
More than 250 postmasters were waiting for redress at the time of their deaths and the number is climbing week by week, postmaster lawyers warn. Campaigners and lawyers have urged the Post Office to review their cases to identify everyone who has died without having their name cleared or receiving full compensation.
David Enright, a lawyer who represents many of the sub-postmasters who have given evidence before the public inquiry, said: “The Post Office has got a list of these names, they could go to the register of births and deaths and at least find out how many are dead and start contacting their executors or family members.”
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He added: “If we are serious about addressing this injustice then we must find the victims, because there can’t be justice until we’ve identified, vindicated and compensated them all.”
This month ITV aired the drama Mr Bates vs the Post Office, which has reignited public outrage. Ministers have promised victims swift exoneration and compensation
‘We cannot wait around any more’
Enright’s comments were echoed by Lord Arbuthnot of Edrom, the former Conservative MP who has spent decades fighting for sub-postmasters. He said: “We cannot wait around because far too many have already died. Let’s hope the legislation can get through as quickly as possible before the list gets any longer. It will just keep growing.”
He added: “It must be the Post Office that carries out this proactive step, it has to happen as soon as possible. People who have died with their convictions still in place must be posthumously exonerated. And their families will certainly need compensation after that.”
Neil Hudgell, of Hudgell Solicitors, who has already helped 73 former sub-postmasters to clear their names, said: “Since the dramatisation, we’ve had more than 450 inquiries and a number of those, in excess of 50, are from the relatives of people who have died. More needs to be done to track these people down.”
The scandal explained
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More than 900 people were prosecuted after a faulty computer system called Horizon, made by Fujitsu, wrongly suggested that money was missing from their branches. The Post Office prosecuted 700 sub-postmasters and another 283 cases were brought by other bodies, including the Crown Prosecution Service.
So far only 101 convictions have been overturned; in 54 other cases the verdicts have been upheld, permission to appeal was refused or the case was withdrawn from court. A public inquiry, led by Sir Wyn Williams, has been running since February 2021 and is due to finish this year.
So far, more than 4,000 people have been told they are eligible for compensation, and there are three live schemes funded by the government.
Data obtained by The Times under freedom of information laws revealed that 263 sub-postmasters and postmistresses had died since being wrongly accused of stealing money because of computer accounting errors. Of these 251 died before receiving a final government compensation payout.
Bates: It’s an utter disgrace
Alan Bates, a former sub-postmaster who founded the Justice for Sub-postmasters Alliance and has spent years campaigning for the group, said: “It’s an utter disgrace when so much is being revealed now about how early both Fujitsu and the Post Office knew there were such failings. How many lives could they have saved if they had only come forward earlier?
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“It’s not just the individuals, it’s their families as well whose lives have been wrecked. Often it sped up people’s illnesses, cancers and things like that. It’s horrendous.” It is understood that a third of the victims who were driven to financial ruin have not received full and final compensation.
Following the ITV drama, Rishi Sunak announced that those previously convicted in England and Wales would be cleared of wrongdoing and compensated under a new law. However, sub-postmasters must first sign a document declaring they have not committed a crime. If they do, they will be entitled to the same payment of £600,000 available to people who have already cleared their names.
Kevan Jones, a Labour MP who has long campaigned for scandal victims, said: “The list of those dying is going to keep growing — that’s why we need to turbocharge the compensation and hold the individuals responsible to account.
“You can’t just wait for the end of the public inquiry, I think now there is enough information coming out that some of these individuals need to start being at least interviewed [by police] and their role examined in this.”
Post Office: We are deeply sorry
A Post Office spokesman said: “We encourage all those affected who have not yet done so to contact us in the way they feel most comfortable, for instance through their MP, Citizens Advice, the Criminal Cases Review Commission, or directly, so that we can resolve their claims.
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“Compensation can be sought by those acting on behalf of estates for people who have sadly passed away.
“We are deeply sorry for the personal tragedies suffered by so many people. We are doing all we can to put right the wrongs of the past, as far as that can ever be possible.”
The Post Office said compensation of more than £150 million had already been allocated to about 2,700 people.
Fujitsu said: “The Fujitsu Group regards this matter with the utmost seriousness and offers its deepest apologies to the sub-postmasters and their families.
“The UK statutory public inquiry, to which our UK subsidiary is providing full co-operation, is examining complex events that have unfolded over many years, and we remain steadfast in our commitment to this co-operation. Based on the findings of the inquiry, we will also be working with the UK government on the appropriate actions, including contribution to compensation. The Fujitsu Group hopes for a swift resolution that ensures a just outcome for the victims.”
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A government spokesman said it was crucial that those affected would be “fairly compensated … All those who died before they could get justice will have their conviction quashed posthumously and compensation paid to the beneficiaries of their wills.”
Are there more Post Office victims we should be picturing? Please email hugo.daniel@sundaytimes.co.uk
