Bulletin No.13

Written By University of Manchester LWOB Student Division

Bulletin Editor: Ellie Jackson

Discussion - The Post Office Scandal

Described as ‘the largest miscarriage of justice in British legal history’, the 2000 - 2014 Post Office Scandal involved the wrongful convictions of hundreds sub-postmasters. Following on ongoing public inquiry, conversation around the scandal has resurfaced in the news as the first of its victims will begin giving evidence in court today.

An estimated 3,500 sub-postmasters were accused of stealing money from their branches, with over 700 receiving criminal convictions for fraud, theft and/or false accounting. The actual cause of the monetary losses was a fault in the accounting software Horizon, which had been recently installed in the Post Office computer system.

The sub-postmasters faced heavy fines or even prison sentences for the convictions. Innocent people were not acquitted for 20 years until campaigners won a legal battle to have their cases reconsidered. Since then 72 cases have been acquitted, with more to follow.

One victim described ‘contemplating suicide’ over the life-altering amount of their fine, an- other describing the ‘hell’ and ‘indignity’ they were forced to endure in prison. The public inquiry aims to uncover how and why the sub-postmasters were blamed for the software malfunction, as so far no individuals have been held accountable for the scandal.

The Post Office has since admitted to ‘getting things wrong’, and have so far agreed to settle with 555 complainants. However there is concern that little of the £58 million agreed in damages will be available after complainant pay off their legal fees.

The Post Office have also established a ‘Historical Shortfall Scheme’ to compensate those who did not serve time in jail, but those who helped expose the scandal in the High Court are excluded - 555 of the sub-postmasters.

How can I get involved?

Externally

The ‘Justice for Sub-postmasters Alliance’ was founded with the intention of exposing the scandal, and whilst there does not appear to be any mention of joining the alliance, you can show support by learning about their journey on their website: https://www.jfsa.org.uk

There are numerous ‘change.org’ petitions and ‘GoFundMe’’s for both individual sub- postmasters and the overall scandal, which allows third parties to make donations and pressure MP’s to show support for appeals getting to court.

Internally

The Manchester Innocence Project:

  • ‘A staff-student collaboration aimed at helping the wrongfully convicted and promoting positive change in the justice system'.

  • Part of the Justice Hub, look out for opportunities on their instagram: @mcrinnocenceproject

The Free Legal Advice Centre

Charity Spotlight - ‘Razom for Ukraine’

Foreshadowing next fortnights bulletin, this weeks charity spotlight is ‘Razom for Ukraine’, a charity based in Ukraine offering support to its displaced civilians.

Razom for Ukraine was established to help Ukrainian citizens pursue a democratic society with the goal of civil rights for all. First established as a response to conflict in 2014, the charity is now appealing for public support in light of resurfacing conflict with Russia.    

Razom meaning ‘together’ in Ukrainian, you can support its anti-war, pro-democracy stance by signing its petitions, partaking in rallies and events, or donating to the ‘Razom Emergency Response’ or ‘Humanitarian Aid to Ukraine’. 

 

University of Manchester LWOB Student Division
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