The postal scandal shook the Islands. The 92-year-old had been fighting for payment for 26 years
Betty Brown was forced to leave her post office in County Durham in 2003 after she and her husband spent more than £50,000. pounds of savings to cover non-existent losses. All because of an error in the IT system.
Now the woman has received the long-awaited payment from one of the government compensation programs.
“I can get my affairs in order. I can turn the heat up all the way and it will be great,” Betty Brown said in an interview with the BBC.
“Finally, after 26 years, justice has been served for them,” she said, adding: “It's a pity they waited so long.”
Her post office was one of the most successful in the region, but she eventually had to sell it at a loss. Talking about what happened, she previously said that it “completely destroyed her whole life.”
The biggest miscarriage of justice in Great Britain
The “postal scandal” has been called Britain's most serious miscarriage of justice. Hundreds of people have been wrongly accused because faulty software suggested money was disappearing from their post office accounts.
The scandal sparked widespread public outrage — fueled in part by a popular television series — and was the subject of a lengthy investigation.
More than 900 post office managers and deputy managers were wrongly prosecuted due to false information from the Horizon computer system. Many of them were imprisoned for falsifying accounting and theft, and some fell into financial ruin.
The Postal Service itself brought numerous cases to court, prosecuting 700 people between 1999 and 2015. Another 283 cases were brought by other authorities, including the prosecutor's office.
See also: What are compensations and how to apply for them?
Postal scandal. Error in the Horizon system
In 2017, a group of 555 postmasters – led by activist Alan Bates, who was later knighted for his contributions – brought a lawsuit in a landmark legal case against the Post Office.
In 2019, the Post Office agreed to pay the group £58m in compensation, but most of that money went towards legal costs. However, this action paved the way for the 2021 convictions of dozens of postmasters and their deputies to be overturned.
Outrage over the 2024 Mr. Bates vs. Post Office series prompted the government to quickly pass a bill through parliament to quash all convictions related to the Horizon scandal.
The Horizon system was developed by the Japanese company Fujitsu for tasks such as accounting and inventory. It was introduced at the post office in 1999.
Workers quickly began complaining about flaws in the system, which incorrectly reported shortfalls, often in the order of thousands of pounds, but their concerns were ignored.
Many people say the scandal ruined their lives. Some have spent savings to cover non-existent deficits because their contracts said they were responsible for unexplained losses. Many of them faced bankruptcy or lost their source of income. Some families believe that stress has led to serious health problems, addictions, and even premature death. It is believed that as a result, more than 13 people may have taken their own lives.
There are four different compensation programs aimed at different groups of victims. Eligibility for individual compensation depends on the specific circumstances of each case.
However, these programs have been criticized for being too slow and complicated, with many of the hardest-hit victims receiving much less than their original claim.
See also: He sued the state for destroying the company. The court awarded PLN 16 million in compensation
Betty Brown got her money after 26 years
Betty Brown, 92, participated in a group compensation scheme as part of a court order, and claimants were offered the opportunity to receive a fixed sum of $75,000. pounds or seek your own settlement.
In December 2024, Ms Brown was originally offered just under a third of the amount she was seeking in compensation. At the beginning of this year, this amount was gradually increased to 70%. , but Mrs. Brown rejected the offer. Ultimately, she received about 95 percent. the amount she originally applied for – and she is happy with it.
The latest government figures up to the end of September, which do not include Ms Brown's payment, show that of the 492 eligible claimants, 385 have received full compensation – with more than 100 still waiting for their final payment.
Across government compensation schemes, £1.2 billion has already been paid to over 9,100 victims.
Source: BBC
