A BBC Breakfast guest broke down in tears during Wednesday's programme as she discussed her father's wrongful conviction in the Post Office Horizon IT scandal. Tom Millward, a sub postmaster, had his conviction quashed eight years after his death.
Tom Millward was accused of stealing £5,000, convicted of false accounting, and forced to move his young family into a static caravan. His daughter, Isobel Saunders, emotionally spoke to reporter Debbie Tubby in a pre-recorded segment.
Tom died from cancer in 2018, just one year before the scandal reached a turning point. "He never got to see that he was innocent, and never got to know that other people would know that he was innocent," Isobel said.
Reflecting on her father's change in behaviour after his conviction, Isobel continued: "I think there was a lot of internalised shame. He stopped talking, he just became very, very quiet." Tom tried balancing the books by cashing in his life insurance and re-mortgaging their home.
After watching the ITV drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office, Tom's wife Margaret realised her late husband wasn't the "only one" affected. She passed away last year. Isobel became emotional as she spoke, saying: "To have that confirmed by the Ministry of Justice really meant a lot."
Isobel expressed anger at "the people at the top, who knew about it. Fair enough, honest mistake, fine. But once they knew and carried on, I think that's the bit that makes me angry." The Post Office chairman has issued a "clear and unequivocal apology" to all affected.
