SHOCKWAVE HITS UK: HORIZON SCANDAL DRIVES AT LEAST 13 TO SUICIDE, DAMNING REPORT REVEALS POST OFFICE KNEW OF FAULTS FOR YEARS!
LONDON – A chilling and devastating report released today by the Post Office Inquiry has ripped open the true, horrific human cost of the Horizon IT scandal, revealing that the flawed accounting software may have driven no less than thirteen innocent individuals to take their own lives.
The 162-page first volume of the inquiry report, chaired by Sir Wyn Williams, paints a damning picture of institutional betrayal, concluding that Post Office bosses knew or should have known for years that the Horizon system was capable of errors, yet “maintained the fiction” that it was accurate. This shocking revelation exposes a deliberate cover-up that shattered lives, livelihoods, and mental health on an unprecedented scale.
The inquiry heard heartbreaking evidence from 59 other sub-postmasters who contemplated suicide due to the immense pressures of false accusations, financial ruin, and public humiliation. Some even attempted to end their lives on multiple occasions. Families recounted harrowing tales of bankruptcy, divorce, severe mental and physical health issues including anorexia and depression, and social ostracisation – all triggered by the Post Office’s relentless pursuit based on faulty data.
Between 1999 and 2015, approximately 1,000 sub-postmasters were wrongfully prosecuted by the Post Office, appearing to have stolen money that was in fact vanished by the defective Fujitsu-supplied Horizon software. Victims faced criminal convictions, imprisonment, and financial ruin, branded as thieves and liars in their communities.
The report’s findings have intensified public fury, demanding urgent and comprehensive justice. Sir Wyn Williams has issued 19 recommendations, including:
- Defining “full and fair financial redress” to ensure victims receive top-end compensation.
- Extending compensation to close family members who suffered “serious negative consequences.”
- Creating a permanent public body to oversee future financial redress for victims of state wrongdoing.
A spokesperson for the Post Office today offered an “unreserved apology for the suffering which Post Office caused to postmasters and their loved ones,” calling it a “shameful period in our history.” However, for the families of the 13 who tragically succumbed to the pressure, and the thousands more whose lives were irrevocably damaged, this apology comes far too late.
The inquiry continues, with future reports expected to pinpoint individual accountability within the Post Office and Fujitsu. The nation now watches to see if swift and decisive action will finally be taken to right one of the biggest miscarriages of justice in UK history.
