Skip to content
Search
AI Powered
Latest Stories

First six postmasters get their Horizon convictions quashed

Six former postmasters were formally acquitted following a referral by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) in cases related to the Horizon IT scandal at Post Office.

Post Office, as announced in October, didn’t contest the appeals of Julie Cleife, Christopher Trousdale, Susan Rudkin, Vipinchandra Patel, Kamran Ashraf and Jasvinder Barang at Southwark Crown Court on 11 December.


They were prosecuted by Post Office between 2003-2013 for false accounting, fraud and false representation at magistrate’s courts.

"The past nine years have been hellish and a total nightmare, but today I feel I can start living again. I can look forward and focus on enjoying life," Vipinchandra Patel, who has been sentenced to 18 weeks in prison in June 2011, told BBC.

"I feel euphoric as I have finally been vindicated. This conviction has been a cloud over my life for almost 10 years."

The CCRC has earlier this year decided to refer the convictions of 47 postmasters for appeal following the High Court verdict on the Horizon IT system used by the Post Office, which went in favour of postmasters.

Post Office decided to not oppose 44 of these appeals. It contests the CCRC referral in three cases.

Commenting on the overturned convictions, a Post Office spokesman said it did not oppose these appeals and "sincerely apologises for historical failings".

“We have taken determined action to address the past, ensuring there is redress for those affected and to prevent such events ever happening again. Fundamental reforms have been made to forge a new relationship with postmasters, helping them to build thriving Post Office businesses for customers and communities throughout the UK,” the spokesman added.

Post Office has taken several measures to ‘reset its relationship’ with postmasters following the settlement of long-running Horizon trial in December 2019.

These included the creation of new non-executive director position in its board for a serving postmaster, a scheme for current and former sub-postmasters to claim shortfalls related to previous versions of the scandal-hit computer system Horizon.

More for you

Trade union calls for 'respect, decent break' for retail staff

iStock image

Trade union calls for 'respect, decent break' for retail staff

Retail trade union Usdaw today (23) called on the shopping public to show respect for shop workers, stating that the busy pre-Christmas shopping period leaves retail workers exhausted and in need of a proper break.

Paddy Lillis – Usdaw General Secretary says, “By the time retail workers get to Christmas Eve, they will have been through a very busy run-up to Christmas. Our members tell us that incidents of verbal abuse are much worse in December and through to the New Year, when shops are busy, customers are stressed and things can boil over.

Keep ReadingShow less
iStock 1458055720
iStock image
iStock image

'Retailers must focus on prices as convenience channel poised to expand'

Grocers must focus on their price positioning to remain competitive as food and grocery spending in UK convenience stores is projected to outpace the hypermarkets, supermarkets, and discounters channel.

According to GlobalData, food and grocery spending in convenience stores is projected to reach £43.2 billion by 2028, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.0 per cent between 2024 and 2028.

Keep ReadingShow less
iStock 1137402716
iStock image
iStock image

‘Grocery tax’ to add £56 to food bills

The upcoming “grocery tax” could hit hard-pressed Britons in the pocket, adding up to £56 annually to household shopping bills and costing families as much as £1.4 billion a year, state reports on Sunday (22) citing a recent analysis.

The scheme, known as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), imposes a levy on retailers and manufacturers for the cost of collecting and disposing of packaging waste, currently funded via council tax.

Keep ReadingShow less
SPAR teams up with Preston primary school to spread festive cheer

SPAR teams up with Preston primary school to spread festive cheer

Ashton Primary School in Preston has teamed up with SPAR during the season of goodwill to donate delicious food to the city’s Foxton Centre.

The school’s Year 3 class enjoyed a cookery session baking pear and chocolate crumbles to take down to the Foxton Homeless Day Centre as a pre-Christmas treat for people who access its services.

Keep ReadingShow less
Cadbury removed from royal warrant list after 170 years

(Photo credit should read Leon Neal/AFP via Getty Images)

Cadbury removed from royal warrant list after 170 years

Cadbury’s has not been granted a royal warrant for the first time in 170 years after it got dropped from King Charles’s list of warrants.

Queen Victoria first awarded Cadbury with the title in 1854 which was then repeated by the late Queen Elizabeth II in 1955 who was a huge lover of the chocolate.

Keep ReadingShow less