- Sub-postmaster’s conviction overturned
- Post office IT scandal
- Long legal battle concludes
The conviction of a former sub-postmaster, erroneously implicated in embezzlement activities related to the post office IT scandal, has been overturned.
Rab Thomson, 64, from Alva, sobbed as he informed his sister that after a twenty-year struggle, he had been cleared.
Mr. Thomson, found guilty in 2006, is the fifth individual in Scotland to have a conviction overturned by the post office.
It has been stated that the scandal represented the most pervasive miscarriage of justice in modern British history.
Over 700 branch managers of post offices throughout the United Kingdom were prosecuted on charges related to a flawed information technology system known as Horizon, developed by Fujitsu. This system created the illusion of missing funds when none had actually been lost.
Margaret Thomson, Mr. Thomson’s mother, transferred the Cambus, Clackmannanshire, post office to him in the year 2000.
Following an audit in 2004, which unveiled an apparent deficiency of £5,700, he was prosecuted and received a 250-hour community service sentence.
Mr. Thomson’s mother passed away before his official expungement.
He stated that he believed his dismissal “would never occur” and that the darkest period of his life had come to an end.
He remarked, “It’s been like a noose; the longer it lasted, the tighter it seemed to become.”
“I never anticipated the arrival of this day.” Twenty years have passed, and each time we contacted the attorneys, they were awaiting something else. There came a time when I was on the verge of throwing in the towel.
“However, those who have stood by my side, including my family, have assured me that it would occur.” What I wish my mother were present today to witness what has transpired is
With any luck, she is beaming down upon me as we visit her in the cemetery, where we shall express our gratitude for all that she has done for us.
In November 2022, six cases, including that of Mr. Thomson, were referred to the High Court in Scotland on the grounds that they might constitute a miscarriage of justice.
The Crown Office decided earlier this week not to oppose his appeal, scheduled to be heard on 1 February; consequently, he was duly cleared on Wednesday.
An inquiry into the events surrounding the Horizon scandal has begun across the United Kingdom.
Documents show that at least one Scottish prosecutor knew about Post Office IT difficulties in 2013.
Demands for Apology and Compensation
The case was reintroduced to the public consciousness subsequent to the revelation of the scandal through an ITV drama.
Mr. Thomson stated that the dismissal of those wrongfully prosecuted should not have taken twenty years.
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Post Office CEO Nick Read and his predecessor, Paula Vennells, were asked to apologize to scandal victims.
“If I were to meet the head of the post office right now,” he stated. I would ask him about his career over the past two decades and about mine.
“What you are currently observing in the inquiry is enough to ignite your blood. It is lie upon lie following lie.
“I request that the incumbent Post Office manager publicly acknowledge and apologize.” Vennells, please extend your apologies. Why has it required a television program and an investigation to provide us with answers?
David Enright, a partner at Howe & Co Solicitors and counsel for more than two hundred postmasters, stated, “His mother passed away tragically on this day, despite the fact that Robert’s reputation has been cleared. We will now demand swift and substantial compensation to restore Robert to his unlawfully snatched life.
While monetary compensation cannot totally replace Robert’s losses, we will do our best to ensure he obtains his entitlements.
