Post Office statement following CCRC article on referring convictions and sentences to the courts

Commenting on a long-read article by the Criminal Cases Review Commission entitled 'Why all Post Office convictions cannot be referred at once', a Post Office spokesperson said:

“We are doing our utmost to encourage anyone who believes they were wrongly convicted to appeal.

“That is why we asked the independent Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) to also make contact with people whose cases might have featured Horizon evidence and we engaged Citizens Advice to provide confidential support and information for people considering appeals.

“It is for the CCRC to determine whether to refer cases they are responsible for to the Courts, and it is always, solely, for the Courts to determine the safety of convictions in the specific circumstances of each individual case.”

Notes to Editors:

• There have been 83 convictions overturned and 48 unsuccessful appeals to date in cases that were prosecuted by Post Office.
• Unsuccessful appeals include those which have been considered but not referred by the CCRC; those which have been refused permission to appeal by the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) or withdrawn or abandoned after starting an appeal; and those which the Court has determined after full hearings.
• Post Office very carefully considers each appeal in cases it prosecuted, applying the Court of Appeal judgments in Horizon appeals. But it of course remains the sole jurisdiction of the Courts to determine the safety of convictions in each case irrespective of Post Office’s position.

Further information can be found at corporate.postoffice.co.uk/en/horizon-scandal-pages/assistance-for-appealing-convictions/

Data on compensation that has been paid so far can be found at corporate.postoffice.co.uk/en/horizon-scandal-pages/overturned-convictions-and-compensation-information-on-progress/