Robin Garbutt, a former post office owner serving a life sentence for the murder of his wife Diana, is seeking a fresh appeal, arguing that the discredited Horizon IT system was used to wrongly convict him. Garbutt has consistently maintained his innocence since Diana was bludgeoned to death in their flat above the post office in Melsonby, North Yorkshire, in March 2010.
At his 2011 trial, the jury heard evidence from a Post Office investigator who used Horizon data to suggest Garbutt was stealing money and killed his wife to cover up the theft. The prosecution claimed he staged an armed robbery to hide losses, with the jury returning a 10-2 majority verdict. No DNA evidence linked him to the murder weapon.
Garbutt insists a masked gunman demanded £16,000 cash, saying they 'had' his wife. He handed over the money and found Diana dead upstairs. He claims he and Diana often struggled to reconcile balances with Horizon figures, sometimes adding or removing cash to match. 'All the financial evidence used against me, we have no means of checking whether it was accurate,' he said.
Diana's mother, Agnes Gaylor, dismissed Garbutt's claims as an attempt to exploit the Horizon scandal for publicity. Garbutt lost his first appeal in 2012 and has been rejected three times by the Criminal Cases Review Commission. He now hopes the government's decision to quash Horizon-dependent convictions will allow a fresh appeal.
Garbutt, who is serving a minimum 20-year sentence at HMP Wealstun, said watching the ITV drama about the scandal was 'deeply upsetting'. He acknowledged his case differs from others but added: 'The way the Post Office dealt with me was the same way that they dealt with the other people.'
