Post Office Statement on Postmasters' appeals of historical convictions

The Post Office has today, 11 August 2021, formally responded to the Court of Appeal regarding 12 applications by former postmasters for permission to appeal their convictions in Post Office prosecutions between 2002 and 2013.

Post Office is supporting the applications in four cases and opposing six. In the two remaining cases an extension of time is being sought to obtain further information. Each case has been carefully considered by the Post Office Board, including in the light of the Court of Appeal’s Judgment in April in relation to previous appeals.

A Post Office spokesperson said:

“Post Office is taking determined action to fairly address miscarriages of justice and to compensate the people affected.

“We are continuing to make strenuous efforts to contact and assist people with potentially relevant historical convictions to appeal if they wish.

“We are sincerely sorry for past failures and our organisation is transforming to re-set our relationship with postmasters and prevent such events ever happening again.”

Appeals of historical cases in which Post Office acted as prosecutor began in 2020 with referrals by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) following the ‘Horizon Issues’ judgment in the group civil litigation.

Post Office has been contacting individuals with convictions that may be affected and is conducting an extensive post-conviction disclosure exercise to identify and disclose all material which might affect the safety of those convictions.

Following funding agreement with Government last month, Post Office is expediting interim payments of up to £100,000 for individuals whose convictions have been overturned where Horizon evidence was essential to the prosecution.

Fundamental reforms

The Post Office is undertaking wholesale reform with a programme of improvements to overhaul culture, practices and operating procedures throughout every part of the Post Office to forge an open and transparent relationship with postmasters.

Two current postmasters joined the Post Office Board as Non-Executive Directors earlier this year to influence Post Office strategy and the implementation of programmes affecting postmasters. Comprehensive improvements have been made from initial recruitment and training through to daily transaction accounting, including design changes made to transactions on the Horizon system, based on postmaster feedback.

Ends

Notes to editors

• Post Office stopped prosecuting in 2015. Cases related to Horizon computer evidence effectively ceased in 2013, although two cases prosecuted in 2015 relied on Horizon data.
• To date 59 convictions have been overturned following appeals.
• Appeals arising from convictions in Magistrates’ Courts must be appealed to the Crown Court. To date such appeals have been heard by Southwark Crown Court. Convictions in Crown Courts are heard by the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division).
• People who have not previously appealed and were convicted in a Crown Court or convicted in a magistrates’ court after pleading not guilty, can appeal in the normal way, seeking leave from the court where necessary.
• If people have previously tried to appeal and failed, or pleaded guilty in a Magistrates’ Court, they can apply to the CCRC.
• Post Office’s post-conviction disclosure exercise, by external criminal law specialists Peters & Peters, has examined around 4.5 million documents and thousands of physical and electronic sources have been interrogated. In addition, Peters & Peters liaised with a number of third parties including Fujitsu Services Limited, Royal Mail Group, the Courts, the CCRC and approximately 50 law firms and agents historically instructed by Post Office to obtain material relevant to the convictions.