Post Office scandal: Frustration over compensation

Former sub-postmasters in East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire say they are "more frustrated than ever" about delays in getting compensation.

Between 1999 and 2015, more than 900 sub-postmasters were wrongly prosecuted due to a faulty software system called Horizon, which showed errors that did not exist.

Earlier this week, the government introduced legislation which is expected to clear the majority of victims in England and Wales by the end of July.

Those wrongly convicted will get an option to settle for £600,000, without the need to bring a formal claim and others who have already settled will have their compensation topped up.

To date, 102 convictions have been overturned and 35 of those people have received full and final settlements.

The BBC spoke with three former sub-postmasters affected by the scandal.

Janet Skinner was jailed for nine months in 2007 over an alleged £59,000 shortfall from her Post Office branch in Bransholme, Hull.

Her conviction was overturned in 2021 but she is now on daily medication to deal with a lifelong disability caused by the stress of the case.

She has received an interim compensation payment but is frustrated by the length of time it is taking to receive full compensation.

"We are no longer criminals but the way that it is going and the way that it’s been you’re still made to feel like you’re a criminal," she said.

That frustration, she said, has grown in recent months since the airing of the ITV drama Mr Bates v The Post Office.

Days after the show was broadcast, the government said it would "swiftly exonerate and compensate" those affected.

Ms Skinner said: "You’re still having to beg for what is rightly deserved."

Dave Blakey was convicted in 2005 but saw his conviction overturned in 2021. He has since been diagnosed with severe post-traumatic stress disorder and suffers with heart problems.

In recent months he accepted the government’s offer of £600,000 in compensation.

"I felt as though I couldn’t take anymore. It does grind you down. I did feel pushed into a corner," he said.

"It’s like being in a paper bag, I just wanted to rip it open and get out of there. So, I decided to settle so that we’ve got money in the bank in case anything happens to me."

But the compensation has not given him the closure he had hoped for.

"I don’t think we’ll get closure until the inquiry finishes and they actually find the people responsible, and something happens to those people whatever it might be," he said.

"Back in 2021, they realised there’s been a big miscarriage of justice.

"They could have put it right there and then and instead of spending millions and millions on their own legal teams, it would have all been done and dusted three or four years ago.

"You wouldn’t have people dying with no compensation."

Gary Brown has met with Post Office chief executive Nick Read and also received a written letter of apology.

It said: "There is nothing I can say that will undo the Post Office’s actions and how they damaged your hard-earned position in your local community and the effect it has had on your family. For all of this we are truly sorry."

But Mr Brown, who suffers from fibromyalgia and depression caused by the stress of the case, said he wants actions not words.

Gary is part of the group of 555 sub-postmasters which took legal action against the Post Office in 2017.

He has received an interim payment of compensation but is yet to receive a full payout.

He said: "It’s horrendous. You’re just waiting non-stop. You’re just waiting for a phone call or a letter, you can’t move on.

"We are just how we were two or three years ago. Nothing has changed. As far as I’m concerned nothing is moving."

Gary’s wife Maureen added: "We are waiting so long to get this money paid back to us that was stolen off us when they demanded it straight away.

"We had to pay it straight away. We had to find it somewhere and pay it straight away. Why aren’t they paying us back?"

A government spokesperson said it was "working tirelessly to get compensation into the hands of those postmasters and postmistresses wronged by the injustices of this scandal".

They said: "We’re speeding up compensation, with approximately £179m already paid, and legislation is being brought forward to overturn the convictions of those who were wrongly prosecuted, with £600,000 in compensation also available."

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