Post Office victims told to come forward for compensation | Personal Finance | Finance

Victims of the Post Office Horizon scandal are being encouraged to participate in a compensation scheme. Freeths, a national law firm, is advising postmasters and others affected by the scandal to consider the Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme (HCRS), which will provide financial assistance to those wrongfully convicted who have not yet received compensation.

The firm was instrumental in securing the original High Court victory for 555 sub-postmaster clients.

Lawyers said the victory resulted in the quashing of hundreds of criminal convictions and the initiation of an ongoing public inquiry into the scandal. The firm also revealed that it has been appointed to collaborate with the government in designing and supporting a compensation scheme for the 555 subpostmasters following the High Court ruling.

James Hartley, Partner and National Head of Dispute Resolution at Freeths, said: “We remain focused on achieving full and fair compensation for the postmasters who we acted for in the successful high court proceedings. The Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme gives us the opportunity to help those who have not yet been compensated following the Horizon scandal.”

“We want to ensure that everyone is properly compensated to help them recover from the devastating consequences of the Post Office Horizon scandal.”

Sir Alan Bates, a key voice in the fight for justice for those impacted by the Horizon fiasco, aired his views, It has taken a long time to get to this point, but now is the opportunity for all eligible people to come forward, clear your names and seek financial redress. So I urge and recommend that you contact Freeths to check your eligibility and pursue your claims.

Who should come forward for compensation?

Freeths is calling on individuals to determine whether they may qualify for the fresh compensation scheme available. They emphasise that potential claimants must satisfy four major conditions:

• You must have either managed or worked at (contractually employed or not) a Post Office branch equipped with the Horizon system
• Your conviction for crimes like false accounting, theft, fraud, or conspiracy to commit these offences should fall between 23 September 1996 and 31 December 2018
• The convictions must be from England, Wales, or Northern Ireland as Scotland operates under a different system
• Even relatives of deceased persons wronged by these convictions are encouraged to make claims.