Appeal court delay for first Capture case as Post Office requests extension

The first-ever Capture lawsuit has been delayed astatine the Court of Appeal arsenic the Post Office asks for an hold to respond, Sky News has learned.

Pat Owen, a erstwhile sub postmistress who has since passed away, was convicted of stealing successful 1998 based connected grounds from machine software.

The system, known arsenic Capture, was utilized successful up to 2,500 branches successful the 1990s, earlier the infamous Horizon strategy was introduced.

Hundreds of sub-postmasters were wrongfully convicted betwixt 1999 and 2015 arsenic portion of the Horizon scandal.

Earlier this year, Sky News unearthed a 1998 study showing the Capture bundle was besides faulty.

That report, commissioned by the solicitors acting for Mrs Owen successful 1998, was served connected the Post Office and whitethorn ne'er person been seen by the assemblage successful her case.

Ms Owen was fixed a suspended situation condemnation and fought to wide her sanction subsequently - but died successful 2003.

Her lawsuit was referred by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) to the Court of Appeal successful October.

The Post Office had until 5 December to respond to papers enactment guardant by Mrs Owen's defence squad but they person present asked for an hold until 30 January.

Ms Owen's daughter, Juliet Shardlow, described the family's suffering astatine the lengthening wait.

"I request to emphasise the profound interaction the ongoing hold is having connected our family," she said.

"The continuous uncertainty lone compounds our heartache, stress, and anxiety.

"It has go the past happening I deliberation astir earlier I spell to slumber and the archetypal happening erstwhile I aftermath up.

"We person waited 27 years for justice, and this further hold feels never-ending."

Ms Owen's lawsuit is the archetypal clip a condemnation based connected Capture has reached the Court of Appeal since the ungraded was exposed.

Read much from Sky News:
Corporate manslaughter charges considered successful Post Office scandal
21 'Capture' cases investigated for miscarriages of justice

Lawyers person said that if Ms Owen is exonerated posthumously, it whitethorn "speed up" the handling of others.

CCRC seat Dame Vera Baird besides told Sky News successful the summertime it could beryllium a "touchstone case" for different victims.

The CCRC is besides continuing to analyse astir 30 different "pre-Horizon" convictions.

A Post Office spokesperson said: "We person sought an hold of clip to afloat see and respond to the CCRC's Statement of Reasons successful Ms Owen's case.

"We profoundly regret the interaction our petition for further clip volition person connected Ms Owen's family.

"We person a work to cautiously see the grounds presented successful the Statement of Reasons submitted by the CCRC and bash everything we tin to afloat assistance the Court erstwhile it considers this conviction."

Meanwhile, the first-ever redress strategy for victims of the Post Office Capture IT ungraded was launched this autumn.

The Capture Redress Scheme volition supply payments of up to £300,000, and much successful "exceptional" cases, to erstwhile postmasters who suffered fiscal losses.