By Paul Sandle
LONDON (Reuters) -Thirteen people may have taken their own lives and others were bankrupted or became seriously ill as a result of Britain’s Post Office scandal, a public inquiry found on Tuesday, laying bare the toll of one of the country’s worst miscarriages of justice.
Inquiry chair Wyn Williams said on Tuesday he was satisfied that executives at the state-owned Post Office knew, or should have known, that its computer system was prone to errors, yet they publicly maintained the fiction it was accurate.
From 2000-2013, the Post Office pursued branch managers, known as subpostmasters, for losses that appeared in their accounts but were caused by flaws in an IT system supplied by Japanese company Fujitsu. About 1,000 people were convicted.
Public outrage about the scandal mounted last year after a TV dramatisation of the case, “Mr Bates vs the Post Office”, which led to legislation to exonerate those convicted.
In the 162-page first volume of his report, Williams called for urgent action to ensure “full and fair” compensation for victims. His recommendations included free legal advice and compensation for family members.
He said it was impossible to ascertain exactly how many people had been impacted, but said there were about 10,000 eligible claimants across four compensation schemes.
“Many thousands of people have suffered serious financial detriment,” he said in a speech after the publication. “Many businesses and homes have been lost, bankruptcies have occurred, marriages and families have been wrecked.”
“Tragically, I heard too of people whom it is said that they were driven to take their own lives,” he added.
Detailing 17 first-hand accounts, Williams said suffering ranged from those held liable for small amounts of money to those who were wrongly imprisoned, fell seriously ill or were driven to despair and suicide.
Postmaster Martin Griffiths was given notice of termination of his contract in 2013 after shortfalls in his accounts. He then deliberately walked in front of a bus, suffering multiple injuries which caused his death at the age of 59.
Following a request from the inquiry, the Post Office identified six former postmasters whose families said they had taken their own lives. A further seven people who were not postmasters had also taken their own lives as a consequence of false shortfalls, according to their families, the report said.
Others suffered mental and physical health problems, bankruptcy and relationship breakdowns.
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said the publication of the report was an important milestone for subpostmasters and their families.
“I am committed to ensuring wronged subpostmasters are given full, fair, and prompt redress,” he said.
The inquiry has held 226 days of hearings and has questioned 298 witnesses. The second volume of the final report, which will include the role of the Post Office, will be published in due course.
(Reporting by Paul SandleEditing by Sachin Ravikumar and Peter Graff)
