exonerated and compensated. a total of 983 sub postmasters were wrongly given criminal convictions for fraud and false accounting, over a period of around 16 years, after a faulty it system made it look like money was missing. 700 of them were prosecuted by the post office. some went to prison and many lives and livelihoods were ruined. our political editor chris mason has more on the day s developments. four nights of drama on the telly after two decades of injustice. and, just one week later. we come to questions for the prime minister. ..the most high profile moment of the week at westminster, the start of prime minister s question time. and rishi sunak said. mr speaker, this is one of the greatest miscarriages ofjustice in our nation s history. today i can announce that we will introduce new primary legislation, to make sure that those
a public inquiry into the scandal at the post office, which led to hundreds of workers being wrongly convicted of fraud and false accounting, will resume later. the inquiry into the post office horizon it system is entering its third year, and returns after a christmas break, aiming to get to the bottom of what caused the faulty software to make it look as if money had gone missing. the uk government has announced a plan to overturn hundreds of convictions, with some sub postmasters, who were genuinely guilty, also likely to be liable for compensation. the scandal is back in the spotlight after a tv drama aired over christmas. ben boulos has the latest. i haven t got that money. and i don t know where it s gone. joe hamilton, the don t know where it s gone. joe hamilton, the sub don t know where it s gone. joe hamilton, the sub postmistress provided in the recent itb drama has played a key drama in the fight forjustice. drama has played a key drama in the fight for justice. she told
justice system into disrepute, providing further strong reasons to allow the appeal underground two. was it in your experience unusual for the post office to offer a plea on the basis that the defendant had to accept that the horizon system was working perfectly? i believe it has happened, in this case as well, but normally the prosecution and defence barristers speak. normally, when you might have the two charges, theft and false accounting, you may get the answer, you are willing to please to false accounting, but not to theft, and instructions will be taken from the post office solicitors, and it is accepted, but i think that is the angle they went down round about that time with the issues regarding horizon. in down round about that time with the issues regarding horizon. issues regarding horizon. in your experience. issues regarding horizon. in your experience, where issues regarding horizon. in your experience, where their - experience, where their circumstances where the
thomas, which can be found at 0017328. we will look at paragraphs 149 155. i m afraid i don t have the page number. i think ithink mr i think mr thomas s case, i think you are sister diane matthews in that investigation. you are sister diane matthews in that investigation.- i you are sister diane matthews in. that investigation.- you that investigation. correct. you assisted diane that investigation. correct. you assisted diane matthews. - that investigation. correct. you assisted diane matthews. i - that investigation. correct. you assisted diane matthews. i will. that investigation. correct. you l assisted diane matthews. i will read from that judgment. assisted diane matthews. i will read from thatjudgment. assisted diane matthews. i will read from thatjudgment. mr assisted diane matthews. i will read from thatjudgment. mr thomas . from thatjudgment. mr thomas worked as a postman between 1985-1992. he worked as a postman between 1985 1992. he became a s
sefton and anne nield. they were post office clerks in liverpool and they were convicted of false accounting and given custodial prison sentences, suspended. now, the reason why they were focusing on these cases is because stephen bradshaw was the investigator of these two women s involvement in what was alleged to be false accounting. they were convicted of false accounting. and their convictions were overturned in 2021. and at the court of appeal, the post office accepted that the prosecution of these two women had been unfair and an affront to justice, and the post office admitted that they had failed to carry out a proper investigation, and that evidence