Overturned Convictions and financial redress: information on progress

Important note: The convictions of hundreds of postmasters were quashed on 24 May 2024 when the when the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Act passed into law. On 13 June 2024, convictions in Scotland were also quashed by legislation.

On 30 July 2024, the Government announced that its new Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme (HCRS) for people whose convictions are quashed by legislation, is open.  The scheme is UK-wide and is being administered by the Department for Business and Trade.  Details of registering for the scheme can be found on the Government’s website here: Register for the Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme (HCRS): Overview - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Please note: Following feedback, we now use the term ‘redress’ rather than ‘compensation’ when referring to payments made through the Schemes being administered by Post Office. No offence was ever intended by use of the term ‘compensation’ and we apologise for any that was caused to participants in the Schemes.

Post Office redress arrangements

Post Office is continuing to administer redress for people whose convictions were overturned by the Courts, before the Government’s legislation. As at 31 July, there were 110* convictions overturned by the Courts and £54.16m has been paid in redress. Please see the tables below for more information.

Eligibility for redress

Anyone whose Horizon-related conviction has been overturned by the Courts can apply for redress via arrangements Post Office has put in place for this. This includes administrators acting on behalf of estates for any person who has sadly passed away.

Support for legal costs

To ensure that people affected are advised and supported throughout the process, Post Office strongly recommends that they seek independent legal advice. Post Office pays all reasonable legal fees and expert fees (e.g. medical, accountancy or property valuation) separately to redress.

Payments

Up-front option
On 18 September 2023, the Government announced that anyone who was wrongly convicted and has had their conviction overturned as it was reliant on Horizon evidence, will be given the option of settling their claim for redress for an up-front sum of £600,000, without the need to bring a formal claim to Post Office. This is an entirely voluntary choice and anyone who does not want to accept this offer can continue with the existing process where each claim is assessed on its specific facts and individual circumstances.

Formal claim assessment option
For people who choose to have their claims assessed interim payments are provided, ahead of final settlements, to ensure that money reaches them as soon as possible.

A payment of  £200,000** is made as soon as possible following the overturning of convictions. To encourage early submission of claims, once the Post Office receives a full claim from someone with an overturned conviction, it will top up their interim redress to £450,000.

** The payment had been £163,000 until 26 July 2024 when Post Office increased the payment to £200,000. The reason for the increase was to align with the Government’s Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme which offers payments at this level.

See the tables below for more detailed information about progress of redress. These are updated monthly.

Interim payments

As of 31 July 2024, both initial and further interim payments have been made to 104 claimants. Interim payments are made as quickly as possible after the overturning of convictions.

Full and Final settlements

We are providing victims with redress which reflects the human costs suffered as well as financial impacts.

Progress of Court appeals of convictions

The data below is as at 24 May 2024. Following the Government’s legislation – Post Office Horizon Offences Act (see above) – which passed into law on 24 May, this table is no longer being updated. This is because the Ministry of Justice is identifying convictions within the scope of the Act. On 30 July 2024, the Government published an updated open letter to postmasters,  with further details, including of the new redress scheme (HCRS). This can be found here: Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Act 2024: updated open letter to postmasters.

References

[1] Number of claimants who have submitted one or more applications to Post Office for interim payments.
[2] Number of claimants who have received  initial or further interim payments, prior to acceptance of settlement offer(s).
[3] Convictions in cases prosecuted by Post Office, in which Horizon evidence may have featured. The total does not include prosecutions by other agencies, namely Crown Prosecution Service, Dept. for Work and Pensions, Procurator Fiscal in Scotland, Public Prosecution Service Northern Ireland and Royal Mail Group. Post Office is engaged with other prosecutors and has shared the limited historical records it holds on such prosecutions. Please note the number has reduced from 704 previously reported on this site due to further information being received.
[4] Includes convictions overturned/ upheld, cases refused permission by the Court to appeal and cases formally withdrawn from the Court and those that Post Office is aware have not been referred for appeal by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC).
[5] The total number of overturned convictions in cases prosecuted by Post Office. This number excludes 11 overturned convictions in which Post Office was not the prosecutor and the Crown Prosecution Service, Public Prosecution Service Northern Ireland (PPSNI), or the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) was the appeal respondent.
[6] Includes convictions upheld by the Court, cases refused permission to appeal and cases formally withdrawn from the Court. Number includes cases that Post Office is aware have not been referred for appeal by the CCRC.
[7] Total number of cases at Southwark Crown Court and Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) awaiting Court hearings/determinations.