Sir Alan Bates has demanded accountability for the wrongful convictions of sub postmasters in the Capture IT scandal.
This call comes after Sky News uncovered a report revealing that Post Office lawyers were aware of software faults nearly thirty years ago.
The discovered documents, found in a retired computer expert’s garage, described the Capture system as «an accident waiting to happen».
Sir Alan commented on the Sky News investigation, highlighting «yet another failure of government oversight; another failure of the Post Office board to ensure [the] Post Office recruited senior people competent of bringing in IT systems» and management that was «out of touch with what was going on within its organisation».
The uncovered Capture report was prepared by the defence team for sub postmistress Patricia Owen and presented to the Post Office during her 1998 trial.
The report criticized the software as «quite capable of producing absurd gibberish» and raised doubts about the existence of any criminal offense.
Despite this, Ms. Owen was convicted of stealing from her branch and received a suspended prison sentence.
She passed away in 2003, with her family believing that the computer expert, who was supposed to testify about the report, never appeared.
Patricia Owen (right) was convicted in 1998 of stealing from her post office branch. She passed away in 2003.
Sir Alan Bates has called for those responsible for the wrongful convictions of sub postmasters in the Capture IT scandal to be «brought to account».
It comes after Sky News unearthed a report showing Post Office lawyers knew of faults in the software nearly three decades ago.
The documents, found in a garage by a retired computer expert, describe the Capture system as «an accident waiting to happen».
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Post Office: The lost ‘Capture’ files
Sir Alan said the Sky News investigation showed «yet another failure of government oversight; another failure of the Post Office board to ensure [the] Post Office recruited senior people competent of bringing in IT systems» and management that was «out of touch with what was going on within its organisation».
The unearthed Capture report was commissioned by the defence team for sub postmistress Patricia Owen and served on the Post Office in 1998 at her trial.
It described the software as «quite capable of producing absurd gibberish» and concluded «reasonable doubt» existed as to «whether any criminal offence» had taken place.
Ms Owen was found guilty of stealing from her branch and given a suspended prison sentence.
She died in 2003 and her family had always believed the computer expert, who was due to give evidence on the report, «never turned up».
Patricia Owen (right) was convicted in 1998 of stealing from her post office branch. She passed away in 2003.
Adrian Montagu contacted authorities after watching a Sky News report earlier this year, revealing that he was dismissed by the defending barrister without any explanation provided. The barrister claimed to have no memory of the case. Victims and their legal representatives are optimistic that a recently discovered expert report, described as «damning,» could potentially lead to the overturning of Capture convictions that may not have been presented to a jury.
Post Office scandal redress efforts are being closely monitored to ensure fairness and expediency in resolving the repercussions of the wrongful convictions. The Capture scandal, which involved faulty software used in Post Office branches between 1992 and 1999, has affected more than 100 victims. Additionally, the Horizon system introduced afterwards led to hundreds of individuals being wrongfully convicted.
Sir Alan, a prominent advocate for victims of the Horizon Post Office scandal, raised questions about the accountability of the Post Office for transferring financial risks associated with system bugs onto sub-postmasters. He emphasized the importance of holding those responsible for the Capture and Horizon scandals accountable for their actions, whether due to incompetence or corporate malice.
The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), tasked with investigating potential miscarriages of justice, is actively reviewing several Capture convictions. As of now, they have received applications related to 29 convictions predating the Horizon system. The CCRC is currently investigating 25 of these applications, with two more in the preparatory stage awaiting assignment to case review managers by the end of June. Notices have been issued to Post Office Ltd under the Criminal Appeal Act 1995 to produce all relevant material concerning the applications.
A Department for Business and Trade spokesperson acknowledged the immense suffering endured by Postmasters affected by the Capture system and emphasized the importance of listening to their experiences in designing the Capture Redress Scheme. The department continues to engage with those impacted by the scandal to ensure their voices are heard in the redress process.
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