An independent review is to be launched into the Department of Work and Pensions’ prosecution of hundreds of subpostmasters during the Horizon scandal. Horizon was a faulty IT system used by the Post Office to manage accounts for thousands of subpostmasters and subpostmistresses.
Introduced in 1999, the software incorrectly showed financial shortfalls, leading the Post Office to accuse many subpostmasters of theft, fraud, or false accounting. As a result, roughly 700 people were prosecuted, and many faced severe financial hardship and even ruin. Only years later did it become clear the system was flawed, largely thanks to the work of Sir Alan Bates, the man who spearheaded the campaign to secure justice, who was knighted as a result.
Mr Bates was portrayed by Toby Jones in an award-winning ITV drama, Mr Bates vs The Post Office.
Tragically, the scandal is linked to at least 13 suicides, according to the final report of the public inquiry led by Sir Wyn Williams, published last month.
The review will cover a 20-year period, from September 1996 to December 2018, as outlined in the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Act 2024.
The legislation served as broad exoneration legislation that automatically overturned Post Office convictions, but excluded prosecutions related to the DWP or Capture cases.
A DWP spokesman said: “We have committed to commissioning an independent assurance review where Post Office members of staff were prosecuted by the department for welfare-related fraud.
“These cases involved complex investigations and were backed by evidence, including filmed surveillance, stolen benefit books and witness statements.
“To date, no documentation has been identified showing that Horizon data was essential to these prosecutions.”