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Post Office IT scandal hero's fury at payouts

- SANJEETA BAINS and LIZZY BUCHAN

AFTER decades of fighting to clear their names, wrongfully convicted Post Office staff were finally triumphant yesterday.

But campaign hero Alan Bates, who led the battle for justice, said Rishi Sunak's plans for compensation do not go far enough.

While he welcomed the PM's pledge to bring in a law exonerating hundreds of sub-postmasters whose lives were turned upside down by the Horizon IT scandal, the 69-year-old warned payouts will not begin to cover the trauma they suffered.

Some were jailed, many were made bankrupt and others killed themselves amid the shame of convictions.

Now, those who have a conviction overturned will be offered £600,000 and can claim for more.

Others, like Alan who were part of a 555-strong group litigation order case will be offered £75,000 and can also go through an assessment process for more.

SUFFERING

The move came after the shocking ITV drama Mr Bates vs the Post Office last week put ministers under pressure to address the miscarriage of justice.

Alan, portrayed in the series by Toby Jones, said: "The overturning of convictions is very good news but the priority remains full financial redress to everyone impacted.

case "£75,000 is an alternative to having your independently assessed, so for the smaller cases, it will probably suffice, But for many cases, it is not enough.

"If someone's lost their home, business, earning potential, cashed in their pensions, there's been vast costs over the years. We're talking over 15, 20 years. It is certainly going to be more than £75,000.

"How you can put a price on the PTSD many are suffering? The Government still haven't addressed the issues of mental health support and treatment needed for not just the victims but the families, too.