The Post Office will challenge the first ever Capture case at the Court of Appeal, according to Sky News sources.
Former sub-postmistress Pat Owen, who passed away in 2003, was convicted of theft in 1998 based on evidence from the flawed Capture computer system.
Her case was referred to the Court of Appeal as a potential miscarriage of justice last year, and the Post Office has now decided to oppose it.
A spokesperson stated that «the case needs to be fully reviewed by the Court of Appeal.»
Capture, accounting software implemented in up to 2,500 branches in the 1990s, was utilized just before the infamous Horizon system was introduced – which led to hundreds of wrongful convictions.
A government-commissioned report in 2024 determined that the Capture software likely caused accounting errors.
Mrs. Owen’s Court of Appeal case had already been postponed in December after the Post Office requested an extension to respond to documents presented by her defense team.
A new deadline of 30 January was established, and just before it expired, Mrs. Owen’s family was informed that her case would be contested.
The family, who have waited nearly three decades to appeal the case, have informed Sky News that they will not provide comments until they receive legal advice.
The Post Office has said it wants all unsafe convictions overturned.
Former sub-postmaster Steve Marston, a Capture user who was also convicted of stealing in 1998, expressed his frustration with the Post Office’s handling of postmasters whose lives were ruined by the faulty software.
He highlighted the overwhelming evidence of the Post Office’s knowledge of the software’s flaws and their continued intimidation and prosecution of postmasters.
Marston, a prominent advocate for Capture victims, criticized the Post Office for not supporting Mrs. Owen’s case and delaying justice for the victims.
In response, a Post Office spokesperson stated that this was the first Capture case referred to the Court of Appeal by the CCRC and emphasized their commitment to overturning unsafe convictions swiftly and in accordance with the law.
They assured full cooperation with the CCRC and the Court of Appeal in reviewing cases involving Capture evidence and expressed openness to new evidence that may warrant a change in their position.
The spokesperson also mentioned the government redress scheme for Capture victims who were not convicted, which was launched last year.
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Last year, Sky News uncovered a report from 1998 revealing the faults in the Capture software, which may not have been presented to the jury in Mrs. Owen’s case.
Furthermore, a government report in 2024 confirmed the software’s role in accounting errors, further supporting the case for a miscarriage of justice in Mrs. Owen’s conviction.