On 23rd April 2021, the Court of Appeal quashed the convictions of 39 former Subpostmasters and ruled their prosecutions were an affront to the public conscience. For some, this marked the beginning of the end of a 20 year battle for justice. Tragically, three of Subpostmasters did not live long enough to see their reputations restored. The 39 were just a few of the 738 people who, between 2000 to 2015, were prosecuted by the Post office for criminal offences including theft, false accounting and fraud. The prosecutions were based on evidence drawn from Horizon, the Post Office's deeply flawed accounting software. If the software showed apparent losses in Subpostmasters' branch accounts, they were forced to settle them from their own pockets, or face losing their livelihoods. Subpostmasters with substantial discrepancies were sacked and taken to court. Many lost their homes and reputations. Some were forced into bankruptcy. the really unlucky ones were sent to prison. This is the story of how a group of innocent people fought back to clear their names against a background of institutional arrogance and obfuscation, a fight dragged out by the Post Office?s refusal to accept responsibility for its failings the journey takes us through years of astonishing obstruction and denial, to the tearful scenes at the Court of Appeal. It also chronicles the efforts of a single-minded former Subpostmaster, starting as a lone public voice of dissent, who went on to beat the Post Office-against overwhelming odds-at two of the highest courts in the land. With cries for a full public inquiry forcing the government to act, this story is not over. The Great Post Office Scandal is a gripping account which will serve as a landmark piece of reporting, revealing the full impact of this shameful episode, as it continues to unravel.
