The number of convictions linked to Capture computing software, which was used in Post Office branches in the 1990s before the infamous faulty Horizon system was introduced, has more than doubled in a span of less than three months, revealed a recent report.
21 Capture cases have now been submitted to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) for review against eight that were reported in December, according to a recent report by Sky News.
Quite similar on the lines of Horizon Post Office scandal where sub post masters were wrongly convicted due to shortfall, Capture accounting system, used from the early 1990s until 1999, was also responsible for shortfalls which led to several wrongful convictions.
Last year in December, Post Office was asked to urgently review its files and evidence related to Capture so the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) and the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission (SCCRC) can ensure no one was wrongfully convicted of a Horizon-style injustice.
Responding to the independent Kroll report into the software, the business secretary has promised to provide redress for postmasters who suffered losses as a result of Capture.
The government said it will work swiftly with victims to determine its form and scope, alongside eligibility criteria, by Spring 2025.
The government commissioned the independent report following postmasters coming forward publicly in January indicating they had faced detriment due to the Capture system. In its report, Kroll concluded Capture could have created shortfalls.
If the CCRC finds significant new evidence or legal arguments not previously heard before, cases can be referred back to the Court of Appeal.
Apart from Horizon and Capture, a leading postmasters body accuses Ecco+, another pre-Horizon IT system that was introduced to post masters between 1992 and 1999, as likely to faulty due to which hundreds of sub postmasters were prosecuted by the Post Office.
Speaking with Asian Trader last year, Calum Greenhow – Chief Executive Officer at National Federation of Sub Postmasters (NFSP) stated that Ecco+ system that was introduced between 1992 and 1999 also created problems for sub post masters.
Greenhow said, "Apart from Capture that came in pre-Horizon time, there was another one called Ecco+ that was in operation between 1992 to 1999. Within that period, (I have learned just in the last few days) post office brought about 334 prosecutions over an eight-year period."
He added, "We have heard so much about Post Office carrying out prosecutions during the Horizon. The fact is, they carried out prosecutions prior to Horizon as well, to near enough the same number and to the same degree.
"So we're talking about a prosecution regime over a 32-year period, not a 25-year period. Their attitude against sub postmasters and their own staff has been prevalent for well over 30 years," he said.
