Post Office scandal victim to return to Handsworth family business

A postmistress who lost her Post Office branch after being wrongly accused of stealing money plans to return to her family business next month.

Rooprit Gill ran the Wattville Road Post Office in Handsworth in Birmingham and was one of hundreds to be accused or convicted of theft and fraud because of a faulty computer system, Horizon.

Her branch was started by her father in 1976 and then handed down to her and she said: "My father always wanted us to get it back somehow."

Yesterday a report was released, looking at the impact on victims, as well as the fairness and speed of the compensation process.

The report said the scandal had a "disastrous" impact on those accused.

It said at least 59 people contemplated suicide at various points, of whom 10 attempted to take their own lives, and more than 13 people may have killed themselves due to the scandal.

The Post Office has apologised unreservedly for what it called a "shameful period" in its history.

Ms Gill said she had considered suicide herself and it was "saddening" to hear how so many others had been affected.

She said when the allegations first emerged of money going missing from her Post Office, there was an assumption in the local community that she was guilty.

"Everybody started talking about it, everybody said you did it," she said.

"People just automatically believed what was said."

To try to balance the books and stay out of jail, she said she ended up missing card and mortgage payments and her parents had to sell a property to keep her going.

The inquiry, led by Sir Wyn Williams, criticised the speed of compensation, saying that for many claimants it had not been delivered "promptly".

Ms Gill, one of those still waiting for her compensation, said: "I just want it finished."

Now, she said the local community was "behind me 100%" and wanted her to get her Post Office back.

"I've watched these people in there for the last 15 years," she said.

"My father always wanted us to get it back somehow and next year will be 50 years of us having the business, and that's one thing I wanted to do for him and his memory."

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