More than 900 sub-postmasters and sub-postmistresses were prosecuted after faulty Horizon computer software made it appear money was missing from their branches, in what has been described as the biggest miscarriage of justice in UK history. While the government has promised swift exoneration and compensation, hundreds of lives have already been ruined, with victims losing jobs, homes, and even dying before seeing justice.
Alan Bates became the face of the fight against the injustices. After taking over a post office in Llandudno in 1998 with his partner Suzanne, he faced unexplained shortfalls but refused to admit liability. He was sacked in 2003 but campaigned for 20 years, setting up a website and speaking out publicly about Horizon's flaws. He became a lead claimant in a group legal action involving over 500 former sub-postmasters, which in 2021 led to a judge ruling the system flawed and paving the way for convictions to be overturned.
Seema Misra was eight weeks pregnant when she was wrongly convicted of false accounting and theft over a £70,000 shortfall at her West Byfleet post office. She had tried to cover apparent losses with her own money, borrowing £22,000 from her sister-in-law. Sentenced to 15 months in prison in 2010, she was sent to Bronzefield Prison on her son's 10th birthday and ordered to pay £40,000 compensation.
The Horizon scandal, reignited by the ITV drama 'Mr Bates vs The Post Office', continues to affect victims like Bates and Misra, who describe the fight for justice as relentless. Many victims feel they were on their own despite hundreds sharing similar experiences, and the battle for full exoneration and compensation remains ongoing.
