A Fife MP involved in gathering evidence in the Post Office inquiry believes the information uncovered may just be the tip of the iceberg.
Douglas Chapman is part of Westminster’s Business and Trade Committee which quizzed witnesses on the scandal this week.
And the Dunfermline SNP MP says swift accountability and closure this year are key to ending the suffering of current and former sub-postmasters.
The scandal was dramatised in the ITV series Mr Bates vs The Post Office.
Faulty post office software led to more than 900 people being wrongly prosecuted for stealing money from they branches they ran.
And more than 3,000 others were left penniless and in despair as the issue continued over 20 years.
They include:
- Fife woman Myra Philp who, along with mother Mary, was falsely accused of stealing £70,000 from Auchtermuchty Post Office
- Former Pitlochry and Kinloch Rannoch sub-postmaster Chris Dawson, who lost his marriage and his home
- Comrie postmistress Marlene Wood, who says she is still going through hell as issues continue
Mr Chapman says it’s possible many other victims have yet to come forward.
And he added: “We think this is the biggest miscarriage of justice in UK history.
“And yet, what we know now, no matter how awful, may be only the tip of the iceberg.”
Post Office scandal is about ‘more than a flawed IT system’
The MP described much of this week’s evidence as “quite shocking”.
He said: “Over and over again the human aspect of this scandal came up.
“The unfairness of the system was pointed out by Alan Bates.
“And it was particularly highlighted by Jo Hamilton’s comment on her parents not living to see her conviction overturned.
“Witnesses pointed out this scandal was caused by much more than just a flawed IT system, but also a flawed human reaction in how it was so badly dealt with.”
The committee session was called to scrutinise why the process of redress has taken so long.
It also examined how convictions could be overturned and compensation paid quickly.
‘Post Office is still prevaricating’
Mr Chapman added: “Swift accountability and closure this year is key here – especially as…hundreds of psychiatric reports highlight the terrible damage to people’s mental health and suffering.
“It’s extraordinary that the Post Office is still prevaricating on giving vital information on their knowledge of issues with the Horizon system.
“There are still so many unanswered questions, not least the implications for the government’s own procurement processes and public confidence in these processes.
“Is there another Horizon scandal sitting in a government department waiting to happen?”
Conversation