Ex-postmistress was despatched to jail two days after daughter’s birthday

A former postmistress immediately revealed how she was sacked, arrested and despatched to jail simply days after her daughter’s tenth birthday after she was wrongfully accused of stealing £75,000 from the Post Office.

Janine Powell, 52, described how the Horizon scandal, which noticed tons of of harmless folks wrongly convicted of crimes they did not commit, tore her life aside – and noticed her jailed for 5 months in 2008.

The Tiverton department supervisor informed the BBC how she ‘missed out’ on time along with her youngsters, including: ‘You’re caught behind these 4 partitions in a bit of room. You get telephone calls to seek out out what’s occurring exterior with the kids. I’ve missed out on doing issues with them – I am unable to get that again.’

Earlier immediately, victims of the Horizon scandal gathered on BBC Breakfast to explain how their very own lives and livelihoods had been upended by the widest miscarriage of justice in British historical past.

Shamed former Post Office boss Paula Vennells introduced she can be handing again her CBE after greater than 1million folks signed a petition – after the published of ITV drama Mr Bates vs the Post Office outraged the nation.

It comes as Rishi Sunak vowed to exonerate all wrongly accused postmasters – and as Downing Street backed rising calls to present scandal campaigner Alan Bates a knighthood.

The Prime Minister mentioned the first laws – being introduced ahead inside weeks – will be sure that victims are ‘swiftly exonerated and compensated’, probably receiving £600,000 every, by the top of the yr.

He mentioned: ‘Today I can announce that we are going to introduce new main laws to ensure that these convicted on account of the Horizon scandal are swiftly exonerated and compensated,’ he mentioned.

‘We may also introduce a brand new up-front cost of £75,000 for the important GLO (group litigation order) group of postmasters.’

The Prime Minister addressed the miscarriage of justice suffered by tons of of subpostmasters and informed MPs that enterprise minister Kevin Hollinrake will set out ‘extra particulars to the House shortly’.

Public anger over the Horizon IT scandal noticed former Post Office boss Paula Vennells hand again her CBE yesterday and the highlight has additionally turned on IT big Fujitsu, after its defective accounting software program Horizon helped result in the conviction of greater than 700 Post Office department managers.

It was revealed immediately that the know-how professional who constructed the defective Horizon IT system is known to need immunity earlier than showing at a public inquiry.

Gareth Jenkins, 69, beforehand gave proof saying the Fujitsu system was ‘not corrupt’, which helped to wrongfully convict tons of of postmasters.

The Cambridge maths graduate, from Bracknell, in Berkshire, has twice beforehand been known as in to present proof to the continued public inquiry into the Post Office scandal however on each events this has been postponed.

Appearing on BBC Breakfast this morning, 9 victims of the scandal revealed how their lives and livelihoods had been destroyed by the widest miscarriage of justice in British historical past. 

Speaking on the BBC Breakfast immediately, former postmaster Tom Hedges mentioned: ‘I’ve been trying ahead to at the present time.

‘I ran a Post Office at Hogsthorpe, eight miles out of Skegness. I used to be there for 16 years till I used to be dismissed in 2009 and convicted in court docket in 2010.

‘I needed to wait a lot of years till 2021 when my conviction was overturned and admittedly it wrecked my life, my household’s life and everybody I is aware of life. It was essentially the most horrendous factor I’ve ever been by way of.

‘I really feel very privileged to take a seat right here this morning and handle the nation due to the great TV present that ITV have produced.

‘I do really feel that story has dragged us proper on the highest of the media agenda.’ 

Mohammed Russell labored for the Post Office for 27 years earlier than he was convicted of false accounting and needed to put on a tag for 3 months and had a suspended sentence for 12 months.

He mentioned: ‘I’ve carried the disgrace ever since, I refuse to hold it any longer.’

Scott Darlington, who ran Alderley Edge Post Office for 4 years earlier than he was convicted, mentioned: ‘I could not get a job for 3 and a half years after that. 

‘I could not afford to pay for my daughter’s faculty uniform. I suffered terrible stigma and embarrassment and monetary misery ever since and I’m glad issues have come to a head and we’re ready to talk about it now.’

Janet Skinner labored for the Post Office from 1994 till 2006 when she was suspended for a shortfall of £59,000. She was given a 9 months custodial sentence, seed three months in jail and the remaining on house curfew.

She mentioned: ‘Its affected the whole lot in my life going ahead for the final 16 years.’

Alison Harl ran a Post Office in High Town, Liversidge, West Yorkshire, till she was suspended in 2010 for a shortfall of almost £15,000. Alison admitted to a false accounting cost which was overturned three years in the past.

Varchas Patel spoke on behalf of his father Vippen Patel from Oxford who was wrongly prosecuted in 2011 and mentioned his father’s well being was ‘shattered’ – he’s but to obtain compensation.

Tim Brentnall ran a Post Office in Pembrokeshire in 2005 till a shortfall was present in 2009 which he was pressured to pay again, some £22,500. He was prosecuted for false accounting till his conviction was quashed in 2021.

He mentioned: ‘My life was left in tatters and my clients and villagers thought I used to be a fraud.’

Sally Stringer who ran a rural Post Office in Beckford mentioned she was ‘lucky’ that she wasn’t convicted and had to make use of her personal cash to pay for all of the shortfalls.

She is working to get justice for postmasters and mentioned: ‘We have to have the monies that had been paid to the Post Office put again to the postmasters.’

It comes after a former postmaster has revealed he tried to take his personal life thrice after being accused of stealing 1000’s from the Post Office.

Parmod Kalia gave the Post Office £22,000 of his personal cash to steadiness his books after the defective Horizon software program made it appear to be cash was lacking from the accounts.

But regardless of this, he was nonetheless wrongly convicted of stealing and despatched to jail for six months in 2001.

It was revealed on Good Morning Britain immediately that Mr Kalia has had the final 21 years of his life taken from him on account of the scandal, which brought about a breakdown in his relationship along with his household and led to him being shunned from his group.

He informed ITV: ‘Its destroyed me mentally, I’ve simply cooped it up inside myself – a buildup of not understanding what it was, nobody to speak to, nobody to debate it with.

‘I’ve misplaced 21 years of my life, no incomes capability. I’ve had a breakdown with my household, my spouse, my youngsters, disgrace in the neighborhood.

‘I’ve tried suicide on three events, it is that as effectively.’

Whitehall sources mentioned plans had been being finalised and can be printed this week, detailing measures to quick observe the method of exonerating greater than 700 victims of the Post Office scandal. 

More than 700 Post Office department managers had been convicted after defective Fujitsu accounting software program known as Horizon made it appear to be cash was lacking from their outlets. 

So far simply 93 have been in a position to clear their names within the courts, leaving tons of unable to say compensation. 

Under regular circumstances, the Criminal Cases Review Commission would take a look at the person convictions and probably ship them to the Court of Appeal, a glacial course of.

But Government sources mentioned that the unprecedented scale of the Horizon scandal might require the extraordinary step of blanket laws to clear the names of these affected. Mr Chalk mentioned there have been ‘actually distinctive circumstances’.

Meanwhile, former Post Office boss Paula Vennells yesterday introduced she was handing again her CBE with ‘instant impact’ after greater than 1 million folks signed a petition calling for her honour to be revoked.

Ms Vennells oversaw the organisation whereas it routinely denied there have been issues with its Horizon IT system. 

The petition, addressed to Sir Chris Wormald, the chair of the Forfeiture Committee, says: ‘Evidence has been produced that the Post Office engaged in a mass cowl up which led to the wrongful prosecution of 550 Post Office Staff a lot of whom had been subsequently jailed, bankrupted and in some instances, sadly took their very own lives.

‘Having been handed a CBE for companies to the Post Office, and moved out into different senior positions in authorities and healthcare, it is just proper that this award is now withdrawn by way of the method of forfeiture.’

Mr Sabet, who was identified with extreme PTSD and has suffered coronary heart issues since his wrongful conviction, says the ordeal has taken years off his life and mentioned it is ‘about time’ Ms Vennells handed again her CBE.

The father-of-one admitted to stealing greater than £50,000 after being informed he would seemingly be despatched to jail if he denied the theft.

Mr Sabet, an ex-engineer who was pressured to take up jobs cleansing bogs in petrol stations after his wrongful conviction, says it is ‘about time’ Ms Vennells handed again her CBE.

However, the previous postmaster additionally desires to see these in cost on the Post Office on the time of the scandal hauled in entrance of a Crown Court decide and branded criminals, simply as he and his colleagues had been.

‘I believe it is completely the correct factor for Paula Vennells handy again her CBE,’ he mentioned.

‘It took the drama on TV and the petition the general public submitted to pressure her to go. She ought to have finished it a lot earlier.

‘I’m wondering if this will probably be sufficient for the sub-postmasters who had been convicted throughout her rein?

‘It’s about time. They handled us like criminals, they known as us criminals – however they’re the criminals.

‘I could not get an excellent job as a result of I used to be a felony, could not insure my house as a result of I used to be a felony; folks did not wish to know you anymore since you’re a felony.

‘Yet not one of the bosses have been held accountable till now.

‘I wish to see these folks endure and put in entrance of a decide like we had been, to endure what we felt.

‘I would really like the Post Office to pay quite a bit so this by no means occurs once more.

‘It’s not proper… It’s unbelievable. We are the victims and but nonetheless the Post Office is in management.’

On the expertise of being accused of being a felony and having his identify dragged by way of the mud, Mr Sabet mentioned: ‘It was completely torturous. It has taken about 5 years off my life, possibly extra.

‘It was like a pre-meditated homicide from the Post Office. They knew what they had been doing and a few of us really died.

‘I would like the right and actual compensation. I would like to have the ability to stay now as I’d have been in a position to earlier than.

‘Somebody has to really feel what we felt. Somebody must be held to account.

‘There had been folks in cost earlier than Paula Vennells who knew what was happening… What about them?

‘They proceed to destroy our lives and they need to be dropped at justice and made to really feel all the issues we felt.’

Though he hasn’t but watched the ITV dramatisation of the Post Office scandal he lived by way of, Mr Sabet praised the TV present Mr Bates vs The Post Office for bringing the general public’s consideration to his and his cohort’s plight.

‘I believe it is nice,’ he mentioned. ‘It has brought about outrage with all people and all people’s speaking about it.

‘More folks appear to know and sympathise with what we went by way of and even Rishi Sunak has stepped in.’

But regardless of his want to see justice lastly served in any case these years, Mr Sabet, worries his in poor health well being – introduced on by the stress of his ordeal – could imply he by no means lives to see the end result of the scandal.

‘I’m fearful I will not see justice earlier than I die,’ he admitted.

‘Plenty of former postmasters have already died earlier than they even knew what they had been going to get. Some died with their names nonetheless not having been cleared.

Mr Sabet was handed a suspended sentence of 1 yr in jail and ordered to finish 180 hours of group service at Lewes Crown Court in 2009, after pleading responsible to stealing greater than £100,000 from the Post Office in a bid to keep away from jail.

‘I used to be completely frightened of going to jail. I did not know what would occur to my spouse and daughter.

‘People checked out me as a felony who stole folks’s cash from the Post Office. They crossed the road to keep away from me. It was unimaginable.’

Mr Sabet estimates that he misplaced round £2.8 million from his three Post Offices in Shoreham and Brighton.

Some senior attorneys yesterday raised considerations concerning the precedent that is likely to be set by Parliament immediately overturning court docket rulings.

Former legal professional common Dominic Grieve described the concept as a ‘parliamentary interference within the judicial technique of our nation’ whereas former Lord Chief Justice Lord Thomas informed the BBC there was a ‘actual likelihood’ that blanket laws might lead to some genuinely responsible folks being cleared.

But two former justice secretaries mentioned the dimensions of the miscarriage of justice justified distinctive measures.

Former subpostmaster Lee Castleton spoke high BBC Radio 4 immediately about how he was pursued and bankrupted by the Post Office.

He mentioned: ‘I did not suspect the pc in any respect at first, I suspected myself personally.

‘It was such a rounded determine, fairly massive, I suspected I had put one thing within the incorrect column or I had miscounted one thing and I actually did imagine once I rang the helpline and defined, I believed what they informed me which was ‘don’t fret it’s going to come again, you can discover it and there will be no drawback.”

Mr Castleton made 91 telephone calls over 12 weeks as a result of he did not wish to settle for that the misbalance was going to right itself.

‘The numbers simply acquired increasingly more random. There had been big swings in £6,000 loss after which £1500 good points – every kind of various swings week to week which had been simply inexplicable actually.

‘After a number of weeks of sleepless nights and spending many many hours going by way of the paperwork on the lookout for the explanation why, begging folks to return and look, I actually did really feel that if somebody got here to the workplace and I might present them the paperwork that I had and clarify the scenario that we’d have the ability to discover a treatment and why this was occurring.

‘But Post Office had been completely hellbent in not serving to me and I realise that now greater than ever and on the time I felt as if I wasn’t explaining it correctly and that individuals did not actually perceive the severity of the place I used to be discovering myself. I actually had nothing to cover.’

Mr Castleton requested for an audit which occurred on March 23, 2004 which discovered a £25,500 deficit. He was then suspended whereas the Post Office tried to get well what they thought they’d misplaced.

After refusing to pay again the £25,500 – adamant he was not going to present again cash he did not owe – he was dismissed altogether and brought to court docket by the Post Office to recoup the loss. 

That determination set in movement a catastrophic chain of occasions. When the Post Office authorized staff failed to point out up for the preliminary listening to in Scarborough, judgment was made in Lee’s favour. Yet the Post Office was decided to overturn that ruling, and took Lee to the High Court. 

With no earnings and little in the best way of financial savings, Lee had no possibility however to symbolize himself. He spent each waking hour ‘buried in paperwork’, working late into the evening to attempt to set up what might probably have gone incorrect, stymied by the truth that not all transactions had been accessible to him as solely the Post Office had a number of the dates. 

Sir Robert Buckland known as for laws to convey justice to ‘the victims and their households’.

He mentioned: ‘There needs to be laws to cope with the convictions of this big class of people who find themselves not simply not responsible, however victims.’

Former Labour justice secretary Lord Falconer mentioned there can be ‘no resistance in Parliament’ to an emergency regulation. 

‘It will take years to eliminate these different convictions until there’s a change in process,’ he added. 

Sir Bob Neill, head of the Commons justice committee, mentioned dealing with the instances by way of the appeals process would ‘place distinctive and unprecedented strains on the attraction system and the felony justice system’.

He additionally known as for the Post Office to lose its proper to convey prosecutions with out oversight from the Crown Prosecution Service.

Mr Chalk held talks on the problem with senior members of the judiciary yesterday. The Prime Minister’s official spokesman later mentioned he was ‘not conscious of any vital challenges being raised’ in the course of the discussions, clearing the best way for ministers to behave.

Post Office minister Kevin Hollinrake mentioned the Government needed to pursue a ‘collective exoneration’ as many convicted postmasters had misplaced religion within the justice system and had been reluctant to problem their convictions.

He mentioned the statutory inquiry will report by the top of the yr and other people can then be held to account as soon as it’s recognized who’s accountable.

Mr Hollinrake mentioned it was ‘actually potential’ that some people are responsible of felony offences and that motion needs to be taken the place there may be proof of that.

‘We have written to all of the folks with convictions to say ‘Please come ahead’,’ he mentioned. ‘We hope that making it simpler to overturn a conviction and… entry compensation will encourage extra folks to return ahead.’

He mentioned extra postmasters had come ahead following ITV drama Mr Bates vs the Post Office, which put the problem on the high of the political agenda.

Mr Hollinrake mentioned former Post Office chief government Paula Vennells has finished the ‘proper factor’ by handing again her CBE within the wake of renewed give attention to the Horizon scandal.

He refused to be drawn on whether or not she ought to return her bonuses from the function, saying he didn’t agree with ‘trial by media’.

‘She’s finished the correct factor… What I do not suppose is true is that we’ve kind of trial by media on this,’ the minister informed Times Radio.

Fears had been raised yesterday that extra subpostmasters might have taken their very own lives within the Horizon scandal after Richard Madeley claimed that one other Post Office employee killed himself after he was wrongly accused of stealing £20,000.

The Good Morning Britain presenter mentioned he was sending a recorded supply letter at his native Post Office yesterday, when he acquired chatting to the subpostmaster behind the counter.

He informed ITV co-star Susanna Reid: ‘I mentioned ‘how was the drama for you?’ and she or he burst into tears. ‘She informed me her story – and I will not say precisely the place it was – however she mentioned a cousin of hers killed himself after being accused of stealing £20,000 from the Post Office.’

Prior to Madeley’s revelation, there have been 4 recognized suicides linked to the Horizon scandal.

Among those that have taken their very own lives is Martin Griffiths, who was falsely suspected of stealing cash from a Post Office in Ellesmere Port the place he had labored for round 20 years.

His household mentioned he delved into his personal financial savings and people of his dad and mom to pay again round £60,000 he was wrongly suspected of taking from the department. The turmoil lasted for 4 years, between 2009 and 2013, and had a big impact on his bodily and psychological well being. 

In 2013, Mr Griffiths parked his automotive on the A41 in Ellesmere Port after leaving a be aware for his family members and took his personal life.

Mother-of-two Fiona McGowan additionally took her personal life after she and associate Phil Cowan, had been accused of stealing £30,000 from her Edinburgh submit workplace.

Ms McGowan was 47 when she overdosed on alcohol and antidepressants in 2009. Her sons had been 12 and 14.

Her associate Phil informed The Sunday Post: ‘Fiona could be nonetheless alive immediately if she had not been dealing with court docket for false accusations of theft and died earlier than clearing her identify.’

Devon postmaster Peter Huxham died in a suspected suicide in July 2020 after being jailed for eight months over a £16,000 shortfall. In that point, his marriage had fallen aside and he had been battling alcoholism.

Recording an open conclusion, assistant coroner Stephen Covell mentioned: ‘It is sadly moderately an unsatisfactory state of affairs that I can not give any useful conclusions as to the exact circumstances of Peter’s dying. He lived alone and died some weeks beforehand, and consequently his physique was badly decomposed and it was not potential to present a reason for dying. There had been no suspicious circumstances.’

And postmaster’s spouse Louise Mann killed herself after wrongful allegations of theft.

For confidential help name the Samaritans on 116123, go to a neighborhood department or go to www.samaritans.org