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A former Grimsby sub-postmaster whose life was torn apart by the Post Office scandal has sadly died before receiving full compensation for being wrongly sacked.
Gillian and David Blakey were finally cleared in 2021 along with dozens like them who were wrongly sacked or convicted of theft, fraud and false accounting due to a fault with the computer system Horizon.
Gillian Blakey ran the Cleethorpe Road post office for eight years before a the fault led to her being sacked and a criminal conviction for her husband, David.
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But, in what was one of the biggest overturning of convictions in UK legal history, the conviction of Mr Blakey and many others, were quashed by the Court of Appeal in 2021, and an inquiry is ongoing in London.
However, sadly, it heard on Wednesday that Mrs Blakey died last week before receiving her final compensation settlement, according to Sky News.
Inquiry chairman Sir Wyn Williams said: “My understanding is that Mrs Blakey had not received additional compensation to which she was entitled. That must be a matter of great regret for all concerned.”
It comes following complaints about the length of time is taking for victims to be paid from the four compensation schemes that have been set up.
When the convictions were quashed, Judges at the top court in London ruled The Post Office knew about the fault, but still pursued the conviction of Mr Blakey anyway. Mrs Blakey was not convicted but she was sacked.
David was not employed by the Post Office but he was responsible for the accounts. The engineer was held responsible for a false account which had a £65,000 deficit.
(Image: Grimsby Live)
At the time, investigators even questioned him over whether he had a mistress or a gambling addiction to account for the money. He was taken to court by The Post Office in 2004 on theft charges which could have resulted in a jail term of between three to five years.
But he was offered a lesser charge of false accounting if he pleaded guilty and was advised to do so by a Grimsby legal firm which represented him.
He was convicted at Grimsby Crown Court and lived with a criminal record for 17 years. The couple lost their home, his car and pension due to the computer fault.
The couple, who lived in Cleethorpes, said their lives were left in tatters and they both declared themselves bankrupt as a result of losing their jobs.
The scandal was brought into the spotlight earlier this year in the ITV drama Mr Bates V The Post Office. The inquiry is ongoing.
You can read Gillian’s funeral notice here.
