Horizon IT scandal final report will be ‘monumental', says ex-subpostmaster
Many were wrongly convicted of crimes such as theft and false accounting after faulty Horizon software made it look as though money was missing from their accounts.
Former post office workers celebrate outside the Royal Courts of Justice, London, after having their convictions overturned by the Court of Appeal (PA)
Subpostmasters' lives were destroyed, with some bankrupted by legal action and sent to prison.
On Tuesday, the first volume of the Horizon IT inquiry's final report will be published, covering the devastating impact on the lives of the scandal's victims and the compensation process.
Leading campaigner Chris Head was falsely accused of stealing more than £80,000 from his branch in West Boldon, near Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, in 2006 before the criminal case against him was dropped.
Speaking to the PA news agency ahead of the report being published, the former subpostmaster, who started running his branch aged 18, said: 'It's a monumental day.
'I do believe it will be damning for both the Post Office and the Government.
'It's quite clear that there has been a deliberate attempt to cover this whole scandal up and now, obviously, the further traumatic experience of people trying to receive redress.'
The issue of financial redress has frequently been flagged as an issue by subpostmasters with many still awaiting full compensation.
The various compensation schemes have been criticised by victims as unfair and difficult to navigate, processes which lead campaigner Sir Alan Bates has previously described as 'quasi-kangaroo courts'.
Mr Head said he hoped the report would push the Government further 'to do more and do it quicker.'
'People will not get closure until accountability is found,' he added.
'Unfortunately, with the wheels of justice, they turn so slowly.
'So I'm always focused on the fact that, let's get the redress for people who were so badly affected.'
Retired judge Sir Wyn Williams, the chairman of the probe, will make a public statement following the report's publication.
In an interim report published in July 2023, Sir Wyn described legislative changes made to resolve issues with the redress schemes as 'a patchwork quilt of compensation schemes… with some holes in it'.
The inquiry was established in 2020, with a number of witnesses giving evidence on the use of Fujitsu's Horizon system, Post Office governance and the legal action taken against subpostmasters.
In a previous statement addressing the compensation schemes, the Department for Business and Trade said: 'This Government has quadrupled the total amount paid to affected postmasters to provide them with full and fair redress, with more than £1 billion having now been paid to over 7,300 claimants.'
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