A FORMER sub-postmaster from South Warnborough who was accused of fraud and theft by the Post Office could finally have her name cleared.

Jo Hamilton was one of hundreds of sub-postmasters prosecuted for false accounting, and in 2008 she pleased guilty for fear of going to prison.

However, the problems were in fact because of the Post Office’s defective Horizon accounting system, affecting hundreds of sub-postmasters who were prosecuted.

 

The Court of Appeal heard last month that their lives were “irreparably ruined” as they lost their jobs, homes and marriages after being prosecuted by the Post Office – which knew the Fujitsu-developed IT system had “faults and bugs from the earliest days of its operation”.

Lawyers representing 42 former sub-postmasters said evidence of serious defects in the Horizon system was “concealed from the courts, prosecutors and defence”, in order to protect the Post Office “at all costs”.

Some of the sub-postmasters have since died, “having gone to their graves” with convictions against their name, while “some took their own lives”, the Court of Appeal was told.

At a hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice in London today, at least 39 of the former sub-postmasters are expected to have their convictions overturned.

The Post Office has conceded that 39 of the 42 appellants’ appeals should be allowed, on the basis that “they did not or could not have a fair trial”.

But it has opposed 35 of those 39 cases on a second ground of appeal, which is that the prosecutions were “an affront to justice”.

Four of the 42 appeals are not opposed on either ground, while three are fully opposed by the Post Office, which has previously said it will not seek retrials of any of the appellants if their convictions are overturned.

Lord Justice Holroyde, Mr Justice Picken and Mrs Justice Farbey are expected to give a ruling formally quashing the 39 former subpostmasters’ convictions on the basis that they did not have a fair trial on Friday morning.

The Court of Appeal will also rule on whether 35 of them have won their appeals on the grounds that their prosecutions were an affront to justice, as well as on the three fully-contested appeals.

In a statement ahead of Friday’s ruling, a Post Office spokeswoman said: “We sincerely apologise to the postmasters affected by our historical failures.

“Throughout this appeals process we have supported the quashing of the overwhelming majority of these convictions and the judgment tomorrow will be an important milestone in addressing the past.”

The Court of Appeal hearing is due to begin at 10.30am on Friday morning, but it is not yet known when the former sub-postmasters’ convictions will be formally quashed.

Mrs Hamilton previously said she first noticed problems in 2003 when her till system showed there was £2,00 missing.

She contacted the Post Office support who advised her how to resolve the issue. However, after following their instructions the discrepancy doubled to £4,000.

"I panicked and altered the figures in the system. This eventually led to a missing amount of £36,000,” she said, adding: "I was officially summoned in 2006 and entered a plea bargain with the Post Office. I pleaded guilty to false accounting in 2008 because I was afraid of going to jail.

"I had to remortgage my house to pay back the missing money. My mum and dad also helped me with the funding as well. I have a criminal record now, I was sacked from the Post Office and I’m now working as a cleaner."