Post Office data breach: Hundreds of victims to get compensation
The Post Office has agreed compensation for hundreds of former sub-postmasters after accidentally leaking their names and addresses on its corporate website.The data breach was revealed in June last year when it emerged the personal details of 555 victims of the Horizon IT scandal had been published.The company has now confirmed individual payouts of up to £5,000 with the potential for higher sums for those who want to pursue a further claim.The Post Office has already apologised and said it was working in "full co-operation" with the Information Commissioner's Office.
The sub-postmasters' details were published in a document on its website.At the time, then-Post Office chief executive Nick Read said the leak was a "truly terrible error".The law firm Freeths, which acted for the 555 sub-postmasters when they sued the Post Office in a landmark High Court case in 2017, said it had secured the payouts on behalf of all those affected and their legal representatives.Of the 420 victims Freeths represents in the ongoing and separate battle for compensation from the scandal, 348 have already received payouts for the breach.Former sub-postmaster Chris Head welcomed the Post Office admitting the data breach mistake, but said they took "far too long to right this wrong"."We cannot underestimate the level of pain, anxiety, stress and worry that so many people have had to suffer through this new episode. Post Office did not seem to understand how much this impacted those people. They appeared unwilling to engage in genuine discussions until further action was on the table."The impact on myself and my family has been profound on top of an already traumatic past 10 years due to the Horizon scandal."The Post Office said victims would be paid either £5,000 or £3,500, depending on whether the individual was also living at the address at the time.In a statement it also confirmed it would consider any special cases if individuals believe they are entitled to further amounts."We have written to all named individuals either directly, or via their solicitors. If there are any individuals whose name was impacted by last year's breach, but who have not received information about the payment for some reason, they can contact us or ask their solicitors if they have legal representation," it said.The lawyer who led the case on behalf of the sub-postmasters said the agreement was struck without the need for any claims to be submitted but also allowed victims the opportunity to pursue further action. "We welcome the progress we have made with this case but there is still a long way to go to recognise the devastating impact of this breach for those affected," said Will Richmond-Coggan, Freeths' partner specialising in data breach litigation.
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