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Wrongly convicted postmaster's delight at new baby

BBC Three-week old baby Lando looking off to the left of the camera, with big wide eyes.BBC
Three-week old baby Lando has "two dozen grandmothers" from the sub-postmasters group, said Tim Brentnall

A sub-postmaster who was wrongly prosecuted in the Horizon scandal has said his new baby means he can now look forward to the next chapter of his life.

Tim Brentnall, from Roch, Pembrokeshire, was prosecuted in 2010 for false accounting after a £22,000 shortfall was discovered at his branch.

He is one of 736 former Post Office managers prosecuted due to the flawed Horizon computer system.

The scandal added to the stress of trying for a baby, but now Mr Brentnall and his partner Steph said Lando, who was born three weeks ago, was "a dream come true".

Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Mr Brentnall said: "Ten years ago I would never have thought it would be possible to be this happy and this new life.

"We wanted a child for many years and, with Steph going through cancer and treatment, we had to wait for a while."

He said the stress from the Post Office scandal added to the stress of trying for a baby.

"Living next to it [the Post Office] is a constant reminder of what happened and I was in my early 20s when we took it on and that was going to be my future. That was all ripped away from me after five years."

Tim Brentnall wearing a checked black and white shirt, bald and wearing glasses. He is looking down at baby Lando who he is holding in one arm, with a dummy in the other hand. Sitting on the same sofa next to him is his partner Steph who is also in a checked shirt but black white and red, she has pink dyed hair and is looking lovingly at baby Lando
Mr Brentnall and his partner Steph have welcomed baby Lando into the world and are looking forward to the next chapter of their lives

Mr Brentnall was 22 when he and his parents bought the shop and the plan was for him to have an income to help him stay in the area where he grew up.

In 2009, auditors arrived on behalf of the Post Office and said they had found a discrepancy.

"I was immediately suspended and within a few days taken to Haverfordwest police station for interviews," he previously said.

"It was horrific. I felt totally alone and helpless."

Even though Mr Brentnall knew he had not taken any money, he and his family were desperate to make up for the missing funds.

Mr Brentnall walking towards the grey concrete building which has a faded Post Office sign next to text saying Roch Gate Stores.
Mr Brentnall still lives next to the Post Office which he said served as a constant reminder

His parents took out a loan to pay the alleged debt, but he was prosecuted for false accounting shortly afterwards.

Like many others in his position, he was advised to plead guilty and was given an 18-month suspended sentence, plus 200 hours of community service.

"I really started to feel like I was trapped in a nightmare," Mr Brentnall said.

"I felt like I was watching myself do it because I knew I didn’t do anything wrong but I was in front of a judge in Crown Court pleading guilty to a crime I didn’t commit."

In 2021, his conviction was overturned and he gave evidence to the Post Office inquiry in March 2022.

Now, he and Steph are looking forward to their new family life.

He said: "It has been a real joy to be able to start to build towards the next chapter."