The Post Office’s second controversial accounting system, Capture, was developed in-house in the early 1990s. Following the Post Office Horizon scandal, concerns over a system that predated the software have emerged. As with Horizon, the Post Office prosecuted and punished subpostmasters who had unexplained shortfalls in its Capture system. The government has agreed to have an independent IT expert review of a Post Office software system predating Horizon, amid claims dozens more sub-postmasters may have been wrongly convicted.
Steve Marston, a post office sub postmaster, believes he was wrongly convicted of theft and false accounting after errors caused by Capture accounting software. Auditors found shortfalls of £79,000 at his branch in Greater Manchester in 1998, and he subsequently pleaded guilty to theft and false accounting.
The Capture software was developed by the Post Office and rolled out from 1992. Campaigners discovered floppy disks with the software on them, dating back to the 90s. Mr. Marston says they show that errors in the system could generate false shortfalls in accounts, and believes Capture evidence was used in his prosecution. Neil Hudgell, representing 35 former sub-postmasters who used Capture, said it was a “significant meeting” with the Post Office minister.
In January, the government ordered the Post Office to investigate the claims related to Capture. Labour MP Kevan Jones has taken up the cause and described one case as being “a mirror image” of what “the Post Office did with Horizon victims.” A Department for Business and Trade spokesperson said that they are now reviewing all the materials provided to them, including those from postmasters and Post Office, and will set out next steps shortly.
Below is the ITV Documentary “Mr Bates V The Post Office – The Impact” broadcast 09/09/2024 which includes the outcome so far of financial renumeration paid to some sub-post office postmasters and also highlighted the new investigation of those seeking redress over the “Capture” in-house Post Office Software accounting system.
