Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry Report, Volume 1

Background

What it found

1. The Chair finds that employees of Fujitsu knew before Horizon was rolled out that it could show losses that were not real, and that staff of the Post Office knew or should have known it too, while the Post Office kept insisting its data was accurate. p. 6 p. 6 p. 6

   “Although many of the individuals who gave evidence before me were very reluctant to accept it, I am satisfied from the evidence that I have heard that a number of senior, and not so senior, employees of the Post Office knew or, at the very least, should have known that Legacy Horizon was capable of error as described above. Yet, for all practical purposes, throughout the lifetime of Legacy Horizon, the Post Office maintained the fiction that its data was always accurate.”

2. The report finds that many hundreds of people were wrongly convicted and many thousands wrongly held liable for losses that were illusory, and that there are about 10,000 eligible claimants for redress. p. 7 p. 12

   “As a consequence of the activities described in the preceding two paragraphs, many hundreds of people have been convicted, wrongly, of criminal offences, and many thousands of people have been held responsible, wrongly, for losses which were illusory, as opposed to real.”

3. The Post Office identified 13 people who, their families say, took their own lives because of shortfalls Horizon showed. The Chair says he cannot find that Horizon caused all of those deaths but does not rule it out, and records evidence from at least 59 people who contemplated suicide. p. 13 p. 14 p. 14 p. 14

   “I have also received evidence from at least 59 persons who contemplated suicide at various points in time and who attributed this to their experiences with Horizon and/or the Post Office. This was a common experience across both those who were and were not prosecuted. Ten of the persons who contemplated suicide attempted to take their lives, some on more than one occasion.”

4. The Chair accepts that the Post Office, the Department and Ministers committed in good faith to redress that is "full, fair and prompt", but concludes that too often it has not been delivered. p. 121 p. 121

   “Ultimately of course, whatever aims the Post Office, and the Department have embraced, the real question is whether they have been able to fulfil those aims. Having reviewed the evidence with care, I have concluded that there have been too many instances in the past in which the aims have not been fulfilled and that, as things stand, there are many formidable difficulties in the way of achieving those aims going forward.”

5. The report holds that "full" redress means the top of the range a court would award, and recommends that the Government say so publicly and that every scheme apply it. p. 123 p. 124 p. 124

6. It finds that redress for many claimants who chose a full assessment has not been prompt, and that the Department will struggle to close the Group Litigation Order Scheme by the end of 2026. p. 158 p. 144

7. It recommends a standing public body to run future compensation schemes for people wronged by public bodies, independent of the body that caused the harm. p. 158 p. 159

8. It recommends redress for close family members of those most affected, where they have suffered serious consequences themselves. p. 161 p. 161

Where to start reading

Short on time? These sections carry the report's argument. Each opens at the start of the section.

1. INTRODUCTION p. 1 · Read →

   The Chair's own four-page account of Horizon, the prosecutions and the litigation, and why this volume comes first.

2. RECOMMENDATIONS p. 11 · Read →

   All 19 recommendations on two pages, each argued for later in the volume.

3. c. Case Illustrations p. 23 · Read →

   Seventeen case illustrations, drawn mainly from the evidence of the people concerned, from imprisonment and bankruptcy to the death of Martin Griffiths.

   “Mr Butoy's convictions resulted in widespread and damning publicity.”

4. a. The meaning of the phrase 'Full and Fair Redress' p. 123 · Read →

   What "full and fair" compensation should mean, and the recommendations that follow from it.

5. c. Has financial redress been delivered promptly? p. 144 · Read →

   Why compensation has taken so long, scheme by scheme.

6. d. Other Issues and Recommendations p. 159 · Read →

   A standing compensation body, redress for families, and restorative justice.