The Post Office chairman has been pushed out of his role following the Horizon IT scandal, reports say.
10.01.2024 - 05:37 / dailyrecord.co.uk
A move to consider automatic pardons for Scots victims of the Horizon scandal was celebrated last night by wrongly-convicted post masters.
Those battling to clear their names said an automatic pardon was long overdue - but the measure was vital to spare families further stress.
There has been a massive public outcry over the conviction of 700 post masters across the UK due to a faulty IT system after the hit TV series Mr Bates vs The Post Office.
Yesterday, in a major shift, Scottish Justice Minister Angela Constance announced that moves had begun to automatically pardon those convicted in Scotland.
She revealed in Holyrood: “We are looking at a pardon scheme.
“Anyone wrongly convicted as a result of the Horizon scandal should have their conviction reversed and be entitled to compensation.”
She also vowed to work with the UK government to make sure Scots victims have access to the UK government’s compensation scheme.
Robert Thomson, whose fight to clear his name on appeal is set to start within weeks, spoke of his delight that a mass pardon was finally under consideration.
Robert was convicted in 2006 and has waited for seven years for his case to come to appeal but he now hopes he can now be spared the process.
The Post Office launched criminal proceedings against Robert, from Alva, after auditors identified an alleged shortfall of around £5700.
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The grandad of four, who took over Cambus post office from his mum in the early 2000s, had already reported shortfalls of about £60,000.
When his lawyer warned he was facing prison, he was forced to plead guilty and sentenced to community service.
The 64-year-old said: “If the
The Post Office chairman has been pushed out of his role following the Horizon IT scandal, reports say.
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The mum of murdered teenager Caroline Glachan has said 'justice has been done' after her killers were jailed for life on Monday.
The ITV drama Mr Bates vs. the Post Office has become the British broadcaster’s biggest new drama in over a decade, beating even the launch of Downton Abbey back in 2010.
A lawyer representing hundreds of Horizon victims says Scotland is “lagging behind” in the race to exonerate wronged sub-postmasters as convicted Scots face court again today.
Despite starring in the ITV series that has gripped the nation and caused the PM to agree to a new law, Mr Bates actor Toby Jones was spotted looking like any regular commuter, as he caught the London Tube.Toby, 57, plays Alan Bates in ITV's Mr Bates vs The Post Office, a series based on the real-life story of the Post Office Horizon scandal, which has been described as “the most widespread miscarriage of justice in British legal history”. It focuses on the huge scandal that occurred between 1999 and 2015, in which 700 Post Office branch managers were wrongly accused of theft, after faulty software made it appear money was missing from their outlets.
A health worker who stabbed herself outside a hospital before claiming she had been attacked has been convicted of wasting police time.
Labour and the Liberal Democrats have slammed Stephen Flynn for having a go at the "Westminster establishment" over the Horizon scandal.
Everyone in Scotland convicted as part of the Horizon Post Office scandal will be cleared, Humza Yousaf has said.
The Post Office tried to play down the potential impact of its dodgy IT system on criminal trials in Scotland, prosecutors have revealed.