Police are now examining the possibility of bringing corporate manslaughter charges as part of their sweeping investigation into the Post Office Horizon IT scandal, a case described as the worst miscarriage of justice in British legal history.
Scale of the Investigation Widens
The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) has confirmed that eight individuals have been named as suspects, with five already interviewed under caution. The total number of persons of interest in the probe has now reached 53.
No arrests have been made to date, but officers are in the process of compiling case files for the Crown Prosecution Service. The investigation, described as "unprecedented" in scale, involves evidence from more than 1.5 million documents and potentially affects over 3,000 victims.
A Long Road to Justice
The scandal saw approximately 1,000 sub-postmasters and postmistresses wrongly prosecuted and convicted between 1999 and 2015 due to faults in the Horizon accounting software. The profound impact of the false accusations led many to contemplate self-harm, with some tragically taking their own lives.
The long fight for accountability gained massive public attention following the ITV drama Mr Bates Vs The Post Office, which dramatised the victims' ordeal and spurred political action.
Potential Charges and Timeline
While the investigation continues to focus on potential offences of perjury and perverting the course of justice, the new consideration of corporate manslaughter charges marks a significant escalation. Investigators are scrutinising the conduct of a "significant number of people" from the Post Office, the technology firm Fujitsu, and the legal profession.
Given the vast complexity of the case, any potential criminal trials linked to the investigation are not expected to commence until 2027.
