The family of a sub-postmistress “destroyed” by a second IT scandal at the Post Office say they can’t wait “years” for her name to be cleared.
The prosecution of Patricia Owen is among 27 cases now being considered by the miscarriages of justice watchdog relating to Capture, a piece of software rolled out by the Post Office in the 90s.
Sub-postmasters complained it was faulty and caused money to go missing when balancing the books, but in a precursor to the Horizon scandal, they were forced to hand over cash, sacked and in some cases criminally prosecuted.
The i Paper has previously revealed how Post Office bosses were aware of the problems with Capture but continued prosecuting sub-postmasters regardless.
Following an independent investigation, the Government has agreed that there is a “reasonable likelihood” Capture caused shortfalls and is now setting up a new compensation scheme.
However, the scandal dates back more than 30 years and victims have urged the Post Office and the Government to move quickly to deliver justice.
Ms Owen, who was convicted of theft in 1998, died in 2003 long before the legal fight over Horizon began.
She was a highly-respected member of her communty in Canterbury, Kent, when the Post Office accused her of stealing just £6,000 from her branch.
Ms Owen has previously used hand-written ledgers to manage her accounts but had started having problems after paying the Post Office £2,000 to use the Capture computer system.
She denied ever having stolen any money and plead not guilty when the Post Office pursued a private prosecution.
Her daughters Juliet Shardlow and Deborah Linford and say Ms Owen even instructed a computer expert to give evidence stating the Capture system was faulty, but the expert never turned up at her trial and she was convicted of theft by a jury.
She was handed a six-month prison sentence that was suspended for two years and never recovered.
“It destroyed my mum. Her world came to end when she lost her Post Office and was prosecuted. It was awful,” said Juliet.
“It was the end of her world. She was then shunned by people in the community and it was like somebody switched a lightbulb off on her life. She just hid away.
“It was so sad to see as she had always been such a formidable woman.
“I remember that the newspaper ran a story on the court case and, as we sold them in the shop, my dad burned all of that day’s copies in the back garden.
“It brought shame on them and they’d never done a thing wrong.”
A CCRC spokesperson said: “We continue to liaise with the Department for Business and Trade and the Post Office to identify other cases in which Capture could have played a part.
“Reviewing criminal cases dating back several decades can be particularly challenging for a number of reasons, including the scant documentation that remains available.
“However, we would encourage anyone who believes that their criminal conviction, or that of a relative, might have been affected by the Capture system to make contact with us.”
The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is now facing hundreds of new compensation claims relating to Capture errors, having already set aside at least £1bn to deal with claims relating to the Horizon between 1999 and 2015.
Among the other new claimants is the family of Peter Lloyd-Holt who died aged 75 in 2021 without ever having the opportunity to clear his name.
He was sacked from his role as sub-postmaster of his Bolton Post Office in 1994 after accounts at his branch showed unexplained shortfalls.
His widow Agnes, and their children Paul, Simon, Clare and Mark have instructed Hudgell Solicitors, who have already supported hundreds of Horizon victims to gather evidence in support of their cases, to help, and say they are determined to see it all the way through.
“We had mixed feelings on the Government announcement as they have basically said they will help people to overturn convictions and seek compensation, but there was a lot of mentions of the lack of evidence, and they keep saying Capture ‘may have caused’ shortfalls. We just want admissions now that my dad, and many others like him, were as innocent as those impacted by Horizon,” said Mark.
“The issue we face is gathering evidence, and that’s why we’ve instructed specialist solicitors.
“What happened to my father destroyed him. When my dad was interviewed he submitted all his documentation and evidence to clear his name, ledgers and dockets and spreadsheets, but they were never returned, so there is little evidence available to us to clear his name.
“Any evidence like bank statements have been lost overtime, so we need the support of the solicitors to do this. He never could move on though, it always cast a shadow over his life, and our lives as a family.
“Now, we’re in a position where we only have our own memories, and we are having to contact many organisations and bodies to see what extra evidence we can uncover.”
Solicitor Neil Hudgell says the firm is already advising a “significant number” of families affected by Capture, including both people directly impacted as they were sub-postmasters themselves, but also, due to the length of time which has since passed, many relatives of people who have since died.
Hudgells are now working with the Government to ensure the smoothest path is available to overturn convictions through the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC).
Hudgells are also supporting many families like the Lloyd-Holt’s to gather evidence ready to submit to a new redress scheme for Capture victims who were sacked or made to pay back alleged branch shortfalls, when it launches this year.
“Sadly, the story of what happened to Peter is one we have heard time and again as the full story of injustice and suffering at the hands of the Post Office has been gradually exposed over the past few years,” said Mr Hudgell.
“Peter wasn’t prosecuted, but his life and that of his family was devastated by what happened to them at the hands of the Post Office.
“The Capture victims are people who have had to wait the longest for any form of exoneration and redress.
“There are potentially hundreds affected, but there are likely to be more people no longer with us, and from those that have turned to us already, we have found that the evidence is harder to come by.
“The Government has publicly stated that it accepts and understands that, due to the length of time which has passed since the Capture system was in use, there are likely to be issues over supplying evidence relating to shortfalls, suspensions, terminations, prosecutions, and convictions.
“Our message is that people shouldn’t be put off by having a lack of documentation, and if they know or suspect that they, or family members were affected by accounting issues between 1992 and 1999, they should come forward.
“That includes family members acting on behalf of loved ones who have since passed away.”
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