Betty Brown, 92, who said the Post Office Horizon IT scandal ‘absolutely destroyed my whole life’, has finally reached a compensation settlement after a 26 year battle
A 92-year-old victim of the Post Office Horizon IT scandal says she can now turn her heating on “full blast” after finally reaching a compensation settlement.
Betty Brown – the oldest surviving victim of the long-running injustice – said it was a “pity” it took 26 years. She told the BBC: “I can settle up my affairs. I can turn the heating up full blast, and that will be wonderful.”
Mrs Brown, who operated the Annfield Plain Post Office in County Durham with her late husband, spent £50,000 of their own savings covering shortfalls that never existed. Ms Brown said she can now “look to the future” and praised “hero” Sir Alan Bates for not giving up.
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The Horizon victim – who previously said the ordeal “absolutely destroyed my whole life” – stated: “At last, after 26 years, they’ve recognised justice.” And she continued: “I think at long, long last, the government are starting to listen.
“Not only are they starting to listen, they’re beginning to act.” Faulty software manufactured by tech firm Fujitsu – which was rolled out across Post Offices – made it look like money was missing from branches. As a result of the shortfalls Mrs Brown was forced to sell her Post Office at a loss, despite it being the most succesful in the region.
In December last year she was offered less than a third of her final settlement. After rejecting revised offers her case went in front of an independent panel, which found in her favours.
She said “the terror was all coming back” when she addressed the panel. She said: “I just want the other sub-postmasters to have what I have been given. That’s all I want – justice for every one of them.”
So far more than 9,000 victims have been paid over £1.2billion in compensation. Public anger rose last year after the scandal was depicted in ITV’s hit-drama, Mr Bates vs The Post Office.
On Tuesday it emerged that Sir Alan had reached a multi-million pound settlement. The Government said: “We pay tribute to Sir Alan Bates for his long record of campaigning on behalf of victims and have now paid out over £1.2 billion to more than 9,000 victims.
But more than 3,000 claims remain outstanding. Around 900 sub-postmasters were wrongly prosecuted, while many more lost their livelihoods and were forced to shell out huge sums to settle losses that did not exist.
In July a bombshell report by Sir Wyn Williams, who chairs the Horizon IT Inquiry, said at least 13 people were believed to have taken their own lives as a result of the scandal.
He estimated 10,000 people may be eligible for compensation – saying postmasters and their families should be regarded as “victims of wholly unacceptable behaviour” by the Post Office and software firm Fujitsu.