The Post Office Horizon scandal has been widely described as the most extensive miscarriage of justice in UK history, stemming from the prosecution of hundreds based on faulty software data.
Public outrage over the scandal intensified, fueled in part by a popular television drama, and has been the focus of a comprehensive inquiry.
The initial report from the official inquiry into the matter is scheduled for release on Tuesday, July 8th.
Over 900 sub-postmasters faced prosecution due to inaccuracies originating from the Horizon computer system.
Numerous sub-postmasters were imprisoned for offenses such as false accounting and theft, while others experienced financial ruin.
The Post Office itself initiated many of these cases, prosecuting 700 individuals between 1999 and 2015. An additional 283 cases were pursued by other entities, including the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
In 2017, a collective of 555 sub-postmasters, led by campaigner Alan Bates, who has since received a knighthood, launched legal action against the Post Office in a landmark court case.
In 2019, the Post Office reached an agreement to pay the group £58 million in compensation, although a significant portion was allocated to legal expenses.
However, this legal action paved the way for dozens of sub-postmasters to have their convictions overturned in 2021.
The issue garnered wider public attention last year through its portrayal in an ITV drama, “Mr Bates vs The Post Office.”
The public outcry sparked by the drama prompted expedited legislation in Parliament to enact a law nullifying convictions related to the Horizon scandal.
Currently, multiple compensation schemes are in operation, and as of June 2, 2025, over £1 billion has been awarded to thousands of sub-postmasters across these various schemes.
Many former sub-postmasters and sub-postmistresses have stated that the scandal has devastated their lives.
Some used personal funds to cover non-existent deficits due to contractual obligations holding them liable for unexplained losses. Many faced bankruptcy or lost their livelihoods.
Marriages dissolved, and some families believe that the stress contributed to serious health problems, addiction, and even premature death.
A single compensation scheme does not exist for sub-postmasters; eligibility is determined by the specific circumstances of each individual case.
The four primary schemes target distinct groups of victims with varying experiences related to the scandal.
As of June 2, 2025, approximately £1.039 billion has been awarded to just over 7,300 sub-postmasters across all four redress schemes, broken down as follows:
Prof Chris Hodges, chair of the independent Horizon Compensation Advisory Board, told the BBC that some individual compensation claims were “well over £1m”.
Horizon was developed by the Japanese company Fujitsu for tasks including accounting and stocktaking.
The Post Office introduced the system in 1999.
Sub-postmasters quickly reported system defects that falsely indicated shortfalls, often amounting to thousands of pounds, but their concerns were dismissed.
The Horizon system is still in use by the Post Office and maintained by Fujitsu. The Post Office states that it has continued to improve the system while planning “to move to a new system that is being developed”.
A public inquiry commenced in 2022, hearing testimony from Post Office and Fujitsu employees.
Last year, Sir Alan Bates appeared before the inquiry, asserting that the Post Office had spent 23 years attempting to “discredit and silence” him.
Paula Vennells, who served as Post Office chief executive from 2012 to 2019, testified in May 2024. She was questioned for three days and, at times, expressed emotional distress. She issued an apology to the sub-postmasters and their families “who have suffered as a result of all that the inquiry has been looking into for so long.”
The initial segment of the inquiry’s report is scheduled for publication on Tuesday.
The inquiry garnered significant attention, accumulating over 20 million views on YouTube.
Individuals with no direct connection to the Post Office reported to the BBC that they became engrossed in watching the proceedings.
Ms. Vennells resigned from her position at the Post Office in 2019. In January 2024, she announced her decision to return her CBE.
In August 2023, the then-Post Office chief executive Nick Read stated that he would return bonus money awarded for his work on the Horizon inquiry.
Fujitsu Europe director Paul Patterson stated that the firm had a “moral obligation” to contribute to compensation payments.
Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey has faced criticism for delaying a meeting with Sir Alan when he was postal affairs minister in 2010. He maintains that he was “deeply misled by Post Office executives.”
The BBC uncovered that former Prime Minister David Cameron’s government was aware that the Post Office had abandoned a confidential investigation that could have aided postmasters in proving their innocence.
The police will not hand files to prosecutors until after the final report from the public inquiry into the scandal is published.
A Farncombe sub-postmaster says he is “still having to battle and fight” for compensation.
The government has been criticised for not chasing up sub-postmasters to apply for compensation
A total of £1.039bn has been awarded to just over 7,300 sub-postmasters, the latest figures show.
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