'Families need to be compensated too' - ex-postmaster

A man who remortgaged his house and lost thousands of pounds in the Post Office Horizon scandal said more should be done to compensate the families of the sub-postmasters who suffered.

Alun Lloyd Jones, 78, from Llanfarian, Ceredigion, has reached a settlement with the company, but said the stress and years of worry have impacted his health - as well as his wife's - Evelyn.

"She's not the same person she was - her health is broken," Mr Jones told BBC Cymru Fyw.

The UK government said they were considering whether action was needed to recognise the suffering of families, while the Post Office said they were "working with the government to pay compensation to victims as soon as possible".

More than 900 sub-postmasters were prosecuted for stealing because of incorrect information from the Horizon computer system, in what has been described as the UK's most widespread miscarriage of justice.

Others, like Mr Jones, avoided being prosecuted by paying the "missing" money out of their own pockets.

Mr Jones, who faced an 18 year battle before receiving compensation, said it was important to consider the impact the scandal has had on the families of sub-postmasters.

"Some have died, some have suffered so that their health has broken and some have had divorces because of the hellish pressure," he said.

"You can never get enough money to compensate… some have lost their businesses, their houses and so on and the experience has destroyed families.

"I feel very strongly that these families should also be considered," he said.

Mr Jones' troubles began in 1998 when he decided to take over his local post office in Llanfarian, near Aberystwyth.

A year later, the Horizon computer system was introduced in all British post offices, to monitor stock and accounts digitally.

Like many other sub-postmasters, Mr Jones started having trouble with the new system in the office in Llanfarian and another he was responsible for in Blaenplwyf.

After the Horizon system showed that nearly £20,000 had disappeared from his accounts, in 2007 he called the police and the Post Office.

He said: "I need to be audited now.

"And they were shocked. 'It's not you who calls auditors,' they said to me, 'it's for us to come and audit you'.

"They came down, two bullies - you've never seen people like them.

"They came in and they immediately made up their minds that I was guilty... the boy immediately said to the woman 'suspend him'."

To avoid being prosecuted, and in accordance with the agreement with the Post Office, he had to pay back the money, borrowing from his father-in-law, remortgaging his house, before later closing the post office and shop.

"I had to use credit cards to go from day-to-day, because we didn't have any money - everything had gone back to the post office," he said, adding that he also faced reputational pressures as a county councillor for 31 years.

Much of the publicity surrounding the issue came from the ITV drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office, which aired last January.

But Mr Jones said he watched the series from a hospital bed in Llanelli, having suffered a heart attack while on his way to see his accountant to discuss his compensation claim before the deadline passed.

"There was just time to pull the car in and put the hazard lights on and dial 999," he said.

A year later, in mid-January 2025, Mr Jones reached a settlement with the Post Office under the Horizon Deficit Scheme.

Although he does not feel that the money makes up for all the suffering, he was proud of the opportunity to try to move on. Although he cannot quite bring himself to get rid of the case documents.

"If the Post Office ever comes back, there is something to prove that we have done it right," he said.

"It all started a long time ago. I was in my 50s. I am now in my late 70s and there is a difference. Old age does not come by itself."

Despite the relief about the settlement, Mr Jones said that there was a shadow over the good news - one that reflected the long period of trying to get justice.

During his battle with the Post Office, two of Mr Jones' children died not knowing he had received compensation for what they went through.

He said his daughter had witnessed all the anxiety, having lived at home with her parents.

"She was forty years old, and died without knowing that her father had finally received some sort of settlement," he said.

A UK government spokesperson said it was working to address the suffering of postmasters and was considering further steps to compensate their families.

A Post Office spokesperson said it "apologises unconditionally" to the victims and was working with the government to pay compensation as soon as possible.

It added that over £594 million has been paid to 3,800 people to date and that it was "committed to transforming the organisation for our postmasters and the 10 million customers who rely on us every week".