A marketing consultant on ITV’s hit drama in regards to the Post Office scandal says “the net may be closing” on these liable for the wrongful prosecution of subpostmasters after the Metropolitan Police confirmed an investigation is underneath means.
The police confirmed on Friday that they’re investigating the Post Office over potential fraud offences after the wrongful prosecutions and its dealing with of the Horizon IT scandal.
Former subpostmasters and subpostmistresses had been held liable by the Post Office for monetary discrepancies thrown up by the computerised accounting system.
The Post Office choice led to greater than 700 prosecutions, legal convictions and, in some instances, jail sentences.
Asked by Sky News if he thought the investigation would result in legal prosecutions, Nick Wallis, a marketing consultant on ITV drama, Mr Bates vs The Post Office, pointed to the shortage of expenses handed all the way down to these liable for different nationwide scandals over contaminated blood, Hillsborough and Windrush.
“So based on our society’s track record of being able to prosecute individuals or corporations, I’m not holding out much hope,” he mentioned.
But he added: “You do get the sense that with this development, with the Met Police coming out saying they’re looking at not just perjury but conspiracy to pervert the course of justice and fraud, the net may well be closing.”
This week’s airing of ITV’s mini-series about Alan Bates, the lead claimant, has thrust the scandal again into the general public eye and 50 extra potential victims are believed to have come ahead because it got here out.
Mr Wallis, who can also be the creator of The Great Post Office Scandal, mentioned the response to the drama has been “phenomenal”.
“I was speaking to the executive producer last night and apologising for being caught off guard at the response to the drama,” he mentioned.
“She said: ‘We all were.’
“We had no concept that the drama would contact so many individuals… It hit a nerve with most of the people.
“It’s shone a light on this story – something I’ve been working on for more than a decade.
“As a end result, an increasing number of victims of this scandal – who maybe weren’t reached by the journalism that is been achieved on it previously, who maybe hid themselves away from their communities – now, finally, the phrase is beginning to filter by means of to them that they are going to be believed if they arrive ahead they usually might properly have a case for vital compensation.”
The government announced a new fixed sum payment last year for victims of the scandal, but critics have claimed the payments are not high enough and are taking too long to be distributed.
Mr Wallis said the compensation should have been dealt with by an independent body and that its handling has become “one more side” of the scandal.
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Christopher Head, a campaigner for victims, grew to become a postmaster on the age of 18 in 2006 and was underneath legal investigation himself for six months in 2015 as a result of IT scandal.
The Post Office believed he had stolen tens of 1000’s of kilos as a result of IT accounting errors.
He was compelled to undergo civil proceedings earlier than the case towards him was finally dropped.
Mr Head instructed Sky News the compensation supplied by the Post Office to victims is “not even close” to sufficient.
“The amounts of money people have lost… their business, their home, they couldn’t get a job because they had a criminal conviction,” he mentioned.
“Then you put it alongside the stigma and the reputational damage and the distress and those kinds of things.
“You cannot actually put a price on it, however the sums I’ve seen being awarded in these schemes don’t come in step with what I might name precise authorized precept.”
Mr Head said he considers himself lucky compared to those who ended up being criminally prosecuted and jailed.
“You nonetheless suffered by the hands of it, however you may by no means ever put yourselves within the sneakers of the individuals who have been to jail, the individuals who have taken their very own lives and the destruction that is had on their households,” he said.
“People speak about compensation… and that is a crucial a part of it so individuals can rebuild their lives, but in addition they should see accountability in order that they’ll put this to mattress as soon as and for all and transfer ahead.”
Mr Head mentioned he believes there have been individuals on the Post Office who “knew what was going on” and “could have put a stop to it”.
Talking in regards to the Met Police’s investigation, he mentioned: “I think it’s been a long time coming, really.
“We’ve seen plenty of proof ourselves through the years. I feel a number of MPs have pointed it out.
“For it to be made official… people are hopeful that somebody somewhere will be held accountable for what’s gone on.”
Source: information.sky.com”