Major milestone in Post Office scandal as first Capture conviction referred to Court of Appeal

The archetypal Post Office Capture condemnation has present been formally referred to the Court of Appeal, marking a large milestone successful the IT scandal.

The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) made the determination to notation the case of sub-postmistress Patricia Owen backmost successful July.

Mrs Owen was convicted of theft by a assemblage successful 1998, based connected grounds from the faulty IT bundle Capture.

She was fixed a suspended situation condemnation and fought to wide her sanction afterwards - but died successful 2003.

Capture bundle was utilized successful 2,500 branches betwixt 1992 and 1999.

It is the archetypal clip a condemnation based connected Capture - the predecessor to the Horizon strategy astatine the centre of the wider Post Office ungraded - has reached the Court of Appeal.

It comes aft Sky News revealed that a damning study into Capture, which could assistance overturn convictions, had been unearthed aft astir 30 years.

An probe recovered the Post Office knew astir the study astatine the clip and continued to prosecute sub-postmasters based connected Capture evidence.

Mrs Owen's household submitted an exertion to the CCRC successful January 2024 - her lawsuit has present been referred connected the grounds that her prosecution was an "abuse of process".

A 'touchstone case' for victims

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

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

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

Juliet Shardlow, Mrs Owen's daughter, has been warring to wide her mother's sanction for years.

She told Sky News the household were "so pleased" her lawsuit had yet been referred.

"This has been a precise agelong travel for america arsenic a household and we tin present spot the airy astatine the extremity of the tunnel," she said.

"It's conscionable bittersweet that mum isn't present to spot it.

"The bully quality is that erstwhile mum's lawsuit is heard successful the High Court, it volition pave the mode for each the different Capture victims."

The Post Office has antecedently said it is "determined that past wrongs are enactment close and proceed to enactment the government's enactment successful this country arsenic good arsenic afloat co-operate with the Criminal Cases Review Commission".