Post Office hero Sir Alan Bates lastly settles compensation declare over Horizon scandal as he is handed seven-figure sum greater than 20 years after he started campaigning
Post Office hero Sir Alan Bates has finally won a seven-figure sum in damages, it has been revealed.
More than 900 sub-postmasters were prosecuted between 1999 and 2015 after faulty accounting software made it look as though money was missing from their accounts.
Hundreds are still waiting for payouts despite the previous government announcing that those who have had convictions quashed were eligible for £600,000.
Now Sir Alan, who was knighted following his role leading the campaign for justice, is understood to have settled his personal case with the Government.
His long-running battle for justice accelerated dramatically after ITV highlighted the scandal in the award-winning 2024 drama Mr Bates Vs The Post Office.
Sir Alan was portrayed by Toby Jones in the series, which provoked widespread public and political debate over the Government’s handling of the scandal.
Earlier this year he criticised officials for ‘reneging’ on assurances given when the compensation schemes were set up.
He said the Department for Business and Trade had promised they would be ‘non-legalistic’ but this turned out to be ‘worthless’.
The 70-year-old revealed that he had been handed a ‘take it or leave it’ compensation offer of less than half his original claim.
Sir Alan said the first offer, made in January last year, was just one sixth of what he was asking for – adding that it rose to a third in the second offer.
Former sub-postmaster Sir Alan Bates led the campaign to get justice for those affected by the Post Office scandal
He was later given a ‘final take it or leave it offer’ – which he said amounted to 49.2 per cent of his original claim.
His compensation claim has now reportedly been settled, with Sky News saying sources suggested it could be valued at between £4million and £5million.
A Government spokesperson said: ‘We pay tribute to Sir Alan Bates for his long record of campaigning on behalf of victims and have now paid out over £1.2billion to more than 9,000 victims.
‘We can confirm that Sir Alan’s claim has reached the end of the scheme process and been settled.’
Sir Alan received his knighthood from Princess Anne at Windsor Castle in September last year after exposing the Horizon IT scandal.
He was the figurehead in the decades-long campaign to have his colleagues’ names cleared and win compensation.
Sir Alan and his wife Lady Suzanne Sercombe bought a post office and haberdashery in Llandudno, Wales, in 1998.
The Horizon IT system was installed in October 2000 and within two months financial discrepancies were showing up.
Former Post Office sub-postmasters are seen here celebrating outside London’s High Court after 42 of the victims of the IT scandal were cleared in April 2021
Former post office sub-postmaster Alan Bates, pictured right, along with his wife Suzanne Sercombe outside Aldwich House in London
ITV turned the plight of the Post Office victims into an award-winning drama,starring Toby Jones as Sir Alan
Sir Alan insisted they were not his fault and refused to pay the shortfall.
His contract was terminated in November 2003 and, while he was not prosecuted, he lost the £65,000 he had invested in the business.
In 2009, Computer Weekly broke the story of the Post Office scandal, featuring Sir Alan and six other victims, and he founded the Justice For Subpostmasters Alliance.
Just 20 people turned up to the group’s first meeting, but it soon mushroomed into a high-profile campaign that ultimately led to group litigation against the shamed Post Office and a later public inquiry.
ITV turned their plight into an award-winning drama, with Sir Alan played by Toby Jones, whilst his supportive wife Susanne Sercombe is depicted by Julie Hesmondhalgh.
The show depicts several other innocent former Post Office staff who were wrongly convicted, including Jo Hamilton (Monica Dolan) and Lee and Lisa Castleton (Will Mellor and Amy Nuttall).
It also showed the involvement of much-criticised former Post Office CEO Paula Vennells, who stepped down from her role in February 2019 and faced calls to give back her CBE. She was formally stripped of the gong in February 2024 for ‘bringing the honours system into disrepute.’
This is a breaking news story. More to follow…
