Postmaster unjustly jailed in Post Office Horizon scandal refuses compensation

The conviction meant Mr Patel, who now works for HM Revenue and Customs, had to sell two of his properties to pay off the debt and pay back 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 take it if I wanted, but if I don’t think it’s fair I can fight them for a fairer amount. I had to go through so much suffering to pay that £48,000.

“After the 15 years I’ve been through and the huge losses, it (the £600,000) doesn’t compare to what would have happened if I hadn’t gone through this.

“People who didn’t go to jail were offered that, and I had to go there for nine months.”

The Department of Business and Trade (DBT) has launched the redress scheme for postmasters who overturned their convictions so they can access compensation.

Victims have the option of accepting a fixed settlement of £600,000 or they can opt for a fully detailed assessment if they feel the sum is unfair, which Mr Patel has decided to do.

He added: “I was branded a criminal when I did nothing wrong, it was the worst moment of my life. People always talked behind your back to tell you I stole the money.

Hope for a new life

“Hopefully, we can start a new life again.”

Patel said he tried to raise concerns about financial discrepancies with the post office on several occasions, but thought no one would listen.

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

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

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

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

“It was really embarrassing and it was worse for my wife and kids. While I was in prison, they bore the brunt of everything. They still had to run the shop next door so they couldn’t avoid seeing anyone.

“People were asking, ‘Where’s the money?’ When will the Post Office open and we will get the money back?

“We hardly ever went out”

“I have three daughters, my oldest daughter was in college in her senior year and came back a term early to help with the shop.

“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 hardly ever went out.

“If my family went to a social event, they were always pointed out as the daughters of the man who went to prison.”

In a statement, a Post Office spokesman said it was “deeply sorry for the harm and suffering” caused to victims of the scandal.

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

A spokesman for the Department for Business and Trade said: “We recognize that for postmasters who have had to endure hardship or even jail time like Mr Patel, no amount of compensation will ever be enough and that they have waited too long to receive a repair.

“We are working tirelessly across government to bring Mr Patel and others who have had their Horizon convictions quashed with full, fair and speedy redress, and have already paid £363m to more than 2,900 claimants in four schemes”.