Postmaster wrongfully jailed in Horizon IT scandal rejects £600,000 payment | UK News

A former postmaster sent to prison after being wrongly accused of fraud in the Horizon IT scandal has rejected a £600,000 compensation payment.

Sunil Patel, who together with his wife Stella ran a post office in St Mary’s Bay, Kent, as well as a neighboring supermarket, served nine months in prison despite being innocent.

The now 62-year-old was accused of stealing £48,000 from the company between 2008 and 2009 through falsifying accounts.

He was convicted in 2010 and received a 15-month sentence, but was released early for good behavior.

It was later revealed that the IT system used by the Post Office, called Horizon, was actually faulty and that Mr Patel had done nothing wrong.

He was one of more than 900 sub-postmasters across the country wrongly prosecuted for theft over the Horizon’s problems.

Last week, the father of three finally received a letter from the Ministry of Justice saying his conviction had been overturned, something he describes as a “weight to lift”.

But Patel says the offer of £600,000 – which includes the £48,000 he was ordered to pay back when he was sentenced – is not enough.

The conviction meant the former postmaster, who now works for HM Revenue and Customs, had to sell two of his properties, pay off debt and repay a £180,000 business loan.

He said: ‘They are offering a one-off compensation of £600,000, which includes your shortfall.

“They told me I could accept it if I wanted, but if I felt it wasn’t fair. I can fight them for a fairer amount.

‘I had to go through a lot of pain to pay that £48,000.

‘After the 15 years I suffered and the really heavy losses, this (the £600,000) doesn’t compare to what would have happened if I hadn’t gone through this.

‘The people who didn’t go to prison were offered that, and I had to stay nine months.’

The Department of Business and Commerce (DBT) has launched a scheme for postmasters who have had their convictions overturned, where they can claim compensation.

Victims can choose between a fixed settlement of £600,000 or they can choose to undergo a fully detailed assessment if they believe this figure is unfair, which Mr Patel has chosen to do.

He added: ‘I was considered a criminal when I didn’t do anything wrong, it was the worst moment of my life.

‘People would always talk behind your back to say that I was the one who stole the money.

‘I hope we can start a new life again.’

The scandal has been described as the most widespread miscarriage of justice in the UK after ITV drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office sparked protests.

Patel said he tried to raise concerns about financial discrepancies with the Post Office on several occasions, but felt no one would listen to him.

He said: ‘In the first year, (the discrepancies) were very small, but they slowly started to get bigger and bigger.

“They went from a few pounds to hundreds. Then, in 2008, it started reaching thousands per week.

‘I would call them and tell them the balance and that I was short.

‘They always said “if you’re short you add the same value and it adjusts”.

“We asked them to send a manager, but they never came.

‘The balance continued to grow and in 2009, after 15 months, the balance grew to a deficit of £48,000.

‘They sent the auditors and I said there were a lot of discrepancies and the Post Office knew about it but they weren’t prepared to listen.

“They said it was a big deficit so I would have to pay the money or they would shut me down, but we didn’t have that money.”

The Post Office was closed in 2009 and security guards were sent to search the property.

Legal proceedings were then launched and Mr Patel, who ran the site for five years, was given a court hearing a year later.

He explained that he felt he had no choice but to plead guilty in a bid to save his family from crippling debt.

He said: ‘The Post Office said they wanted to negotiate with me.

“They said I would face a three-year prison sentence if the case went to court, but if I pleaded guilty to false accounting they would drop the theft charges and court costs.

‘The legal costs were quite high and in other cases were around £400,000 and it would have bankrupted me, so I agreed.’

The prosecution alleged that Patel stole money to pay mortgages on the seven properties he owned after the economic crisis.

He says he was considered a criminal who stole money from pensioners and shamed his family.

“People didn’t even look at me, they crossed the street to walk on the other side, away from me,” he said.

“It was very embarrassing and it was worse for my wife and children. While I was in prison, they bore the brunt of it all.

“They still had to take care of the store next door, so they couldn’t avoid seeing anyone.

‘People asked ‘where’s the money?’ When will the Post Office open and will we return the money?’

‘I have three daughters, my eldest daughter was in her final year at university and came back a semester early to help in the store.

“My other daughter was at school and everyone heard about it in the local and national press, so it was embarrassing for them.

‘For the next 10 years we almost never went out.

‘If my family went to a social event, they would always be singled out as the daughters of the man who went to prison.’

Now Patel, who sold Beachside Stores in 2020, hopes those responsible for the postmasters’ suffering are held accountable.

He added: ‘I get angry at the Post Office because they knew something was wrong and didn’t do anything.

“The head of the Post Office knew all along. People died and others took their lives in the time it took and everything could have been avoided.

‘I would like the Post Office executives to be investigated because none of them were punished.’

In a statement, a Post Office spokesperson said it “deeply regrets the pain and suffering” caused to victims of the scandal.

“We continue to work alongside the government to do everything we can to ensure justice and redress as quickly as possible,” they added.

A DBT spokesperson said: ‘We recognize that for postmasters who have had to endure hardship or even prison sentences like Mr Patel, no amount of compensation will be enough and who have waited too long to receive redress.

‘We are working tirelessly across government to bring Mr Patel and others who had their Horizon convictions overturned full, fair and swift redress, and have already paid out £363 million to more than 2,900 claimants across four schemes.’

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