Former postmaster Steve Marston says an IT system that was in place before Horizon led to him being convicted of theft.
The 67-year-old was a subpostmaster in Heap Bridge, Manchester, when he was convicted for theft and false accounting offences in 1998 – before the Horizon system was used. Instead, he claims an earlier IT system, Capture, led to his prosecution.
The flawed Horizon system has made headlines up and down the country this month after ITV aired the drama Mr Bates Vs the Post Office. It told the story of hundreds of postmasters who were wrongfully convicted of theft, fraud, and false accounting due to the Horizon technology.
Now, following claims in the i, The Department for Business and Trade has asked the Post Office to look into Mr Marston’s case. Officials expect the Post Office to take appropriate action if there are issues discovered with other systems currently or previously used by the firm.
A Post Office spokesman told the newspaper: “We take very seriously the concerns that are being raised about cases from before the Horizon system was first rolled out in 1999, and we will of course assist in looking into such cases brought to our attention.”
Mr Marston told the i he did not steal “a penny” but pleaded guilty to avoid being sent to prison. He said: “They said pleading guilty was the only way to avoid going to jail.
“I just thought it must be something I’m doing wrong; computers were in their infancy, you didn’t think they could be wrong.”
Mr Marston says he told Post Office auditors that he was innocent, but was unable to explain what had happened. “They said ‘Capture doesn’t make mistakes’,” he added.
