Sir Alan Bates calls for those responsible for wrongful convictions in Post Office Capture scandal to be 'brought to account'

Sir Alan Bates has called for those liable for the wrongful convictions of sub postmasters successful the Capture IT ungraded to beryllium "brought to account".

It comes aft Sky News unearthed a report showing Post Office lawyers knew of faults successful the bundle astir 3 decades ago.

The documents, recovered successful a store by a retired machine expert, picture the Capture strategy arsenic "an mishap waiting to happen".

Sir Alan said the Sky News probe showed "yet different nonaccomplishment of authorities oversight; different nonaccomplishment of the Post Office committee to guarantee [the] Post Office recruited elder radical competent of bringing successful IT systems" and absorption that was "out of interaction with what was going connected wrong its organisation".

The unearthed Capture study was commissioned by the defence squad for sub postmistress Patricia Owen and served connected the Post Office successful 1998 astatine her trial.

It described the bundle arsenic "quite susceptible of producing absurd gibberish" and concluded "reasonable doubt" existed arsenic to "whether immoderate transgression offence" had taken place.

Ms Owen was recovered blameworthy of stealing from her subdivision and fixed a suspended situation sentence.

She died successful 2003 and her household had ever believed the machine expert, who was owed to springiness grounds connected the report, "never turned up".

Adrian Montagu reached retired aft seeing a Sky News study earlier this twelvemonth and said helium was really stood down by the defending barrister with "no crushed given".

The barrister said helium had nary recollection of the case.

Victims and their lawyers anticipation the recently recovered "damning" adept report, which whitethorn ne'er person been seen by a jury, could assistance overturn Capture convictions.

Read more: Post Office ungraded redress indispensable not lone beryllium just - it indispensable beryllium fast

'These radical person to beryllium brought to account'

Sir Alan, the starring campaigner for victims of the Horizon Post Office scandal, said portion "no programme is bug free, wherefore [was the] Post Office allowed to transportation the fiscal hazard from these bugs connected to a 3rd enactment i.e. the sub postmaster, and wherefore did its lawyers proceed with prosecutions seemingly knowing of these strategy bugs?"

He continued: "Whether it was incompetence oregon firm malice, these radical person to beryllium brought to relationship for their actions, beryllium it for Capture oregon Horizon."

More than 100 victims person travel forward

More than 100 victims, including those who were not convicted but who were affected by the faulty software, person truthful acold travel forward.

Capture was utilized successful 2,500 branches betwixt 1992 and 1999, conscionable earlier Horizon was introduced - which saw hundreds wrongfully convicted.

The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), the assemblage liable for investigating imaginable miscarriages of justice, is presently looking astatine a fig of Capture convictions.

A CCRC spokesperson told Sky News: "We person received applications regarding 29 convictions which pre-date Horizon.
25 of these applications are being actively investigated by lawsuit reappraisal managers, and 2 much caller applications are successful the preparatory signifier and volition beryllium assigned to lawsuit reappraisal managers earlier the extremity of June.

"We person issued notices nether s.17 of the Criminal Appeal Act 1995 to Post Office Ltd requiring them to nutrient each worldly relating to the applications received.

"To date, POL person provided immoderate worldly successful narration to 17 of the cases and confirmed that they clasp nary worldly successful narration to different 5. The CCRC is awaiting a effect from POL successful narration to 6 cases."

A spokesperson for the Department for Business and Trade said: "Postmasters negatively affected by Capture endured immeasurable suffering. We proceed to perceive to those who person been sharing their stories connected the Capture system, and person taken their thoughts connected committee erstwhile designing the Capture Redress Scheme."