The primary Submit Workplace Seize conviction has now been formally referred to the Courtroom of Attraction, marking a significant milestone within the IT scandal.
The Prison Instances Assessment Fee (CCRC) made the choice to refer the case of sub-postmistress Patricia Owen again in July.
Mrs Owen was convicted of theft by a jury in 1998, based mostly on proof from the defective IT software program Seize.
She was given a suspended jail sentence and fought to clear her title afterwards – however died in 2003.
Seize software program was utilized in 2,500 branches between 1992 and 1999.
The primary Seize conviction was despatched for attraction in July
It’s the first time a conviction based mostly on Seize – the predecessor to the Horizon system on the centre of the broader Submit Workplace scandal – has reached the Courtroom of Attraction.
It comes after Sky Information revealed {that a} damning report into Seize, which may assist overturn convictions, had been unearthed after nearly 30 years.
An investigation discovered the Submit Workplace knew in regards to the report on the time and continued to prosecute sub-postmasters based mostly on Seize proof.
Mrs Owen’s household submitted an software to the CCRC in January 2024 – her case has now been referred on the grounds that her prosecution was an “abuse of course of”.
A ‘touchstone case’ for victims
Attorneys have mentioned that if Mrs Owen is exonerated posthumously within the Courtroom of Attraction, it might “velocity up” the dealing with of others.
The CCRC can be persevering with to analyze greater than 30 different “pre-Horizon” convictions.
CCRC chair, Dame Vera Baird, additionally informed Sky Information in the summertime it may very well be a “touchstone case” for different victims.
Juliet Shardlow, Mrs Owen’s daughter, has been combating to clear her mom’s title for years.
She informed Sky Information the household have been “so happy” her case had lastly been referred.
“This has been a really lengthy journey for us as a household and we will now see the sunshine on the finish of the tunnel,” she mentioned.
“It is simply unhappy that mum is not right here to see it.
“The excellent news is that after mum’s case is heard within the Excessive Courtroom, it would pave the best way for all the opposite Seize victims.”
The Submit Workplace has beforehand mentioned it’s “decided that previous wrongs are put proper and proceed to help the federal government’s work on this space in addition to totally co-operate with the Prison Instances Assessment Fee”.
A spokesperson added on Thursday night: “We proceed to totally co-operate with the CCRC by supplying paperwork and knowledge, the place that is out there, that has been requested in relation to pre-Horizon convictions.
“While we will’t touch upon particular person circumstances, we proceed to help the CCRC in coping with pre-Horizon convictions.”
