The first criminal conviction related to the Post Office Capture system has been referred to the Court of Appeal.
The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) stated that the case of Patricia Owen, convicted on five counts of theft in June 1998, has been referred on the grounds of abuse of process.
Ms. Owen’s conviction stemmed from alleged theft from the Broad Oak Post Office branch in Sweechgate, near Canterbury, involving a £6,000 shortfall.
The former sub-postmistress utilized the Capture system, a precursor to the Horizon software, which has been implicated in nearly 1,000 wrongful convictions.
She received a six-month prison sentence, suspended for two years.
Following Ms. Owen’s death in 2003, the case is being sent to the Court of Appeal posthumously, following an application from her family.
The CCRC announced in March that it was reviewing 27 cases to assess whether the Capture accounting software contributed to convictions.
An independent report into Capture was commissioned last year after subpostmasters reported similar issues to those experienced by Horizon victims.
The CCRC has referred more than 70 cases related to the Post Office Horizon scandal to the appeal courts.
Solicitor Neil Hudgell hailed the referral as a “hugely positive step.”
“This marks another significant moment in the ongoing effort to ensure that all those wrongly prosecuted due to the Post Office have their names cleared,” he stated.
“Those affected by Capture have endured the longest wait of all.”
In a statement, the Department for Business and Trade commented: “We acknowledge the immense suffering endured by postmasters, and we are actively working with those affected by Capture software to establish a new redress scheme.”
“Ensuring postmasters are treated with dignity and respect is our utmost priority, and we will continue to engage with those sharing their experiences and collaborate with the CCRC to support their review of the Capture system.”
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