Post Office Capture victims to hold talks with Government over second IT scandal

The Government is set to meet sub-postmasters convicted and sacked during a second IT scandal at the Post Office so their voices “can be properly heard”, i can reveal.

Postal affairs minister Kevin Hollinrake and Carl Cresswell, the senior civil servant overseeing compensation schemes, have agreed to meet former sub-postmasters in person to discuss Capture, a piece of accounting software rolled out in the 1990s.

It follows months of reporting by i over claims they suffered unexplained shortfalls while using the system.

Documents shared with i reveal the Post Office developed Capture in-house and suggest that IT bosses were aware it was prone to bugs and glitches that could result in “corrupted” data.

But in a precursor to the Horizon scandal, sub-postmasters say they were forced to hand over cash, sacked, and in some cases, prosecuted in criminal courts.

The Post Office has since admitted at least four criminal convictions have been linked to the Capture system and is investigating “concerning” links to prosecutions and dismissals of other staff.

Three months after he first shared his story with i, former sub-postmaster Steve Marston, 68, said he was “pleased and grateful” to be offered the opportunity to discuss his theft prosecution in 1998 with Mr Hollinrake in Westminster.

“It’s a relief that after so many years of banging our heads against a brick wall our voices are finally being heard,” he added.

“I realise there are only a limited number of Capture victims in comparison to Horizon, but an injustice is an injustice whether it’s one victim or a thousand.

“All I want, and have always wanted is for justice to prevail and in an expedited way so that we can hopefully put this behind us once and for all, hold our heads up high and enjoy the rest of our lives in peace.”

There are now believed to be at least 10 sub-postmasters who were prosecuted under Capture who have come forward alleging a miscarriage of justice which mirrors Horizon and dozens more who claim they lost money.

Rebecca Pow, the Conservative MP for Taunton Deane, secured the meeting for her constituent Mr Marston and told i: “I’ve been reassured by the minister that his department is in active discussions with the Post Office about the allegations surrounding the predecessor system to Horizon.

“I look forward to the meeting so that my constituent’s voice can be properly heard by government.”

Mr Hollinrake added: “We are totally committed to delivering compensation for all those who have suffered wrongful convictions or lost money due to the actions of the Post Office and the Horizon scandal.

“I am grateful to Rebecca for bringing to my attention the case of Mr Marston and his use of an earlier system, called Capture, and we will respond in due course.”

Capture convictions will not be overturned by the legislation currently making its way through Parliament which will quash almost 800 Horizon convictions en masse.

Mr Hollinrake told MPs this week that there is not yet a “body of evidence” that has been before the courts regarding Capture.

However, the Government has indicated Capture victims will be able to access compensation through existing schemes worth more than £1bn.

On Monday, Mr Cresswell, a director at the Department for Business and Trade who is responsible for signing off payouts, is set to meet Steve Lewis, another former sub-postmaster who claims he was sacked due to shortfalls caused by Capture.

Mr Lewis, 63, claims he repeatedly raised concerns that the system was causing misbalances at his branch in south Wales, but was warned by Post Office bosses not become “a troublemaker”.

Kevan Jones, the Labour MP who has been supporting both Horizon and Capture victims, told i the meetings are a “welcome step forward.”

“It shows the commitment of the minister to take seriously and look at getting these cases resolved,” he added. “It’s not clear how we solve them but I’m determined and I think there’s willingness on behalf of the Government to find a way forward.”

A Post Office spokesperson has said previously: “We take very seriously any concerns raised about cases from before the Horizon system was first rolled out in 1999.

“Our current understanding is that Capture does not appear to have been ‘networked’, but the software was used by some postmasters, alongside manual processes, for simplifying accounts before they were manually submitted.

“We are particularly concerned about allegations of prosecutions, and we are looking into this along with all available facts about Capture, including whether shortfalls could have been caused by faults in this software, and the potential impacts if so.

“Given the passage of time, around 30 years ago, and changes to data storage systems since the split from Royal Mail, we do not yet have a complete picture of Capture but are looking into the issue given the concerns raised.”