Many postmasters still in the dark over justice

The Post Office has been unable to contact 126 people who were convicted of crimes on the basis of evidence from the flawed Horizon computer system.

A total of 736 sub-postmasters were prosecuted over the course of 14 years for crimes such as theft and false accounting.

Those still to receive information about access to justice represent about one in six of those convicted.

Nick Read, Post Office chief executive, said all victims should be compensated.

The case is the most widespread miscarriage of justice in the UK, with some serving prison terms and facing humiliation in their communities for crimes they never committed.

Various avenues have been available to former sub-postmasters to claim payouts.

Those who lost money filling supposed gaps in their accounts - but which were in fact the result of bugs and defects in the computer system - have been able to claim through a historic shortfall compensation scheme.

Mr Read told MPs on the business select committee on Tuesday that the Post Office had offered compensation to 777 of the 2,500 postmasters who applied via that route.

He said he hoped that lawyers and staff working on the case can make offers to the all but a handful of the claimants by the end of the year.

"The Post Office itself doesn't have the financial resources to compensate a miscarriage of justice of this scale," he told the business, energy and industrial strategy committee.

So far, 72 convictions have been overturned.

Mr Read said that 66 of those people who have seen their convictions overturned have applied for an interim £100,000 payment designed to "bridge the gap" until a full settlement can be reached. Of these, 57 have received these payments, with negotiations and possible test cases earmarked to draw up the final settlements.

"It is my intention that we do give full and final compensation of all the victims of the past and their families," Mr Read said.

"There is an enormous amount of complexity associated with making sure we get absolutely right how we compensate those postmasters. And most importantly that it's full, it's fair and it's final."

Negotiations are also ongoing with 555 people who received a civil payout, and were excluded from the historic shortfall scheme. Much of their compensation was swallowed up by legal fees.

Business minister Paul Scully told MPs they were having to overcome huge mistrust in the system from those wronged over the course of 20 years in order for everyone to receive access to justice and compensation.