Tragedy of Post Office workers who died before getting justice over Horizon scandal

Viewers have been left shocked and appalled by Mr Bates vs The Post Office, the ITV show that details the real-life story of the Horizon Post Office scandal.

The ITV drama, that began airing on New Year’s Day, is based on the story of postmaster Alan Bates, played by actor Toby Jones, who was one of hundreds of sub-postmasters who were falsely accused and charged with theft, fraud and false accounting. However, it was subsequently discovered that the £1bn Horizon IT system, developed by Fujitsu, was behind the errors.

The scandal, which traces back to 1999, saw 736 Post Office staff prosecuted based on data which was later found to have been altered by “bugs, errors and defects” up until as recently as 2015 – with some workers sent to prison. Other victims were forced to declare bankruptcy and resorted to selling their homes to pay off sizeable sums, leaving them in financial ruin.

Bates led a campaign with five others to highlight the miscarriage of just in and took the Post Office to court on behalf of 55 claimants. The High Court ruled in their favour in 2019 and ordered the Post Office to pay out more than £58mn.

However just 83 of the 736 convictions had been overturned by 2022 and the scandal was particular tragic for 33 victims who died before they saw justice – while four people reportedly took their own lives as a result of their convictions.

Here, Yahoo News UK looks at some of the victims who died before they were ever able to see justice…

Recommended reading

• Susanna Reid confronts minister over Post Office scandal (Yahoo News)

• Real-life Mr Bates opens up on Post Office scandal in ITV drama (The Independent)

• Former Post Office chief should give back her CBE, says postal minister (Evening Standard)

Julian Wilson

Julian Wilson was a sub-postmaster who was prosecuted by the Post Office for false accounting. He pleaded guilty in a plea deal in 2008 after £27,000 was found to be missing from his branch’s accounts and he was sentenced to 300 hours of community service and forced to pay back thousands of pounds.

Wilson fought to clear his name after being accepted into a mediation scheme launched in 2013 but the Post Office reportedly did not mediate with him as he was a convicted criminal and he died of terminal bowel cancer in 2016 at the age of 67.

Wilson’s widow, Karen, believes the stress of the situation on his physical and mental health contributed to his death. She told the Guardian: “He was only 67. I never said that this did kill him but it did massively contribute, definitely."

Investigative journalist Nick Wallis met with Wilson several times about the scandal and said there was “never a trace of bitterness” about him. Wallis wrote in a blog that Wilson “accepted things with great patience even though he was still in danger of losing his house because of the Post Office’s pursuit of him”.

Wallis said that, even in the face of his cancer diagnosis. he was determined to clear his name and paid tribute to Wilson, describing him as “a kind-hearted and genuine human being”.

Fiona McGowan

Fiona McGowan ran the Jock’s Lodge post office in Edinburgh and was charged with fraud after £30,000 went missing from the branch. Her partner, Phil Cowan was the sub-postmaster at the same post office.

While the charge was never pursued, there was never any confirmation that it had been dropped and McGowan, who had suffered from mental health issues and depression since childhood, spiralled into a deep depression, Cowan told the Horizon inquiry. After the branch was closed as a result of the missing money, the couple’s standing in the local community was damaged, he said.

In his witness statement, Cowan explained how McGowan “was the victim of abuse from the local community” and was spat at in front of her two year sons, something that caused “significant emotional distress”. There was also “a degree of suspicion” amongst friends, family and colleagues, with some cutting off contact completely with the couple.

Cowan said that his partner’s mental health issues were exacerbated by the threat of a criminal prosecution and she was unable to returning to her former career as a teaching assistant due to the threat of charges.

While awaiting trial in 2009 she died from an accidental overdose of alcohol and antidepressants at the age of 47. Cowan placed the blame on her death at the Post Office’s door, describing them as a “ruthless, heartless organisation”. Post Office chairman Tim Parker said in April 2021 they were “extremely sorry” for the impact on the lives of postmasters and families caused by historical failures.

Martin Griffiths

Martin Griffiths was the sub-postmaster at Hope Farm Post Office in Great Sutton, Cheshire, between 1995 and 2013. Problems with the Horizon system began to surface in 2009 and the financial discrepancies resulted in Griffiths paying for them out of his own savings.

But in 2011 Griffiths was audited by the Post Office and suspended, before he was wrongly accused of stealing £61,000 from his branch. In a written statement to the Horizon inquiry, Griffiths’ brother said he “became very depressed and withdrawn” and that his sibling believed he was the only person who was dealing with financial shortfalls at the Post Office.

Griffiths’ marriage suffered and he was forced to ask for his parents to use their life savings to pay the Post Office, who demanded the “missing” money be returned. His wife told the inquiry that her husband “became very insular” and “he would come home from the post office and just sit looking into space, with no conversation, not wanting to do or plan anything”.

She added that he was “a shadow of his former strong, confident and outgoing self”.

Griffiths was eventually sacked in 2013 and in September that year he deliberately stepped into the path of an oncoming bus on the A41. His life support was switched off in hospital three months later and he died at the age of 59. Griffiths’ brother said he and his family were “devastated by the actions” of the Post Office, who he says “arrogantly blamed” Griffiths, adding that “those responsible must be held accountable for ruining so many lives”.

Griffiths’ wife said she holds the Post Office responsible for her husband’s death, adding: “He was a proud, strong, clever man, a very able sportsman in his time, a loving husband and a fantastic father to his two children. The Post Office took all this away from us.”

Peter Huxham and Roderick Dundee

Post Office worker Peter Huxham worked at a branch in Devon and errors in the Horizon system meant there was a £16,000 shortfall. He pleaded guilty to fraud by misrepresentation in March 2010 at Torquay Magistrates’ Court and was jailed for eight months.

Huxham, who was known to have struggled with alcoholism and mental health issues, battled with the stress of the ordeal and his 22-year marriage came to an end.

In July 2020, neighbours noticed a stack of unopened letters by his door and flies in his apartment, where he lived alone, and police were notified. Huxham’s body was discovered inside and it is believed he took his own life. Due to his body being badly decomposed, assistant coroner Stephen Covell was unable to give a cause of death and recorded an open conclusion.

Roderick Dundee pleaded pleaded guilty to false accounting at Cambridge Magistrates’ Court in August 2005​ and was given a 240-hour community order. He died in May 2021, before his conviction could be overturned.

Following both deaths, the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) referred the convictions to the crown court. The move may be helpful for the workers’ bereaved relatives because they have no other means of having the convictions overturned, the CCRC said.

Dundee applied to the CCRC in November 2020 – six months before he died. His daughter has pursued an application on his behalf since.

Post Office apology

In a video released on the 2 January following the release of the drama, Post Office chief executive Nick Read said: “I have met many of the victims and heard first-hand their personal stories. Today, I reiterate and extend an apology on behalf of Post Office to all those affected. It’s imperative we listen and acknowledge these stories, understanding the profound impact the scandal has had on lives.

"The ITV drama, Mr Bates versus the Post Office, features some of the deeply personal and moving accounts of postmasters and their families, highlighting again the human aspect of this scandal."