Post Office faces group litigation over Horizon IT as subpostmasters fund class action

The Post Office faces group litigation in relation to a long-running dispute over the computer system that its branch network uses, as campaigners get the financial backing they need to take the case to civil court.

Subpostmasters plan a group legal action against the Post Office, claiming wrongful prosecution, fines and even prison sentences because of failures in the computer system.

In 2009, Computer Weekly revealed the stories of subpostmasters who had received heavy fines and even jail terms for alleged false accounting – which they blamed on the Horizon system and supporting processes. The Post Office has vehemently denied this claim. (See timeline below for more about the dispute).

In November 2015, the subpostmasters – supported by The Justice for Subpostmasters Alliance (JSFA) – announced their group action against Post Office.  The group seeks justice and compensation for subpostmasters.

At the time, the JFSA said that, after years of campaigning, it was left with “no other option but to seek redress though the courts”. Freeths Solicitors and Henderson Barristers Chambers have been preparing the civil action through the High Court.

Alan Bates, chairman at the JFSA, confirmed the group had secured the funding it needs to take the action. "We are now able to move forward in civil court with the exposure of the failings of the Post Office and its Horizon system."

A group action is a case where a number of claimants with similar claims get together to initiate an action against a single party. It is similar to a US class action.

In response to previous Computer Weekly articles, the Post Office recently said: “It remains the case that more than three years of investigations have not identified any transaction caused by a technical fault in Horizon which resulted in a postmaster wrongly being held responsible for a loss.”

Post Office Horizon: Timeline of events                    

• May 2009: Bankruptcy, prosecution and disrupted livelihoods – postmasters tell their story
• September 2009: Postmasters form action group after accounts shortfall
• November 2009: Post Office theft case deferred over IT questions
• February 2011: Post Office faces legal action over alleged accounting system failures
• October 2011: 85 subpostmasters seek legal support in claims against Post Office computer system
• June 2012: Post Office launches external review of system at centre of legal disputes
• January 2013: Post Office admits that Horizon system needs more investigation
• January 2013: Post Office announces amnesty for Horizon evidence
• January 2013: Post Office wants to get to bottom of IT system allegations
• June 2013: Investigation into Post Office accounting system to drill down on strongest cases
• July 2013: Post Office Horizon system investigation reveals concerns
• October 2013: End in sight for subpostmaster claims against Post Office's Horizon accounting system
• October 2013: Former Lord Justice of Appeal Hooper joins Post Office Horizon investigation
• November 2013: 150 subpostmasters file claims over 'faulty' Horizon accounting system
• September 2014: Fresh questions raised over Post Office IT system's role in fraud cases
• December 2014: MPs blast Post Office over IT system investigation and remove backing
• December 2014: Why MPs lost faith in the Post Office's IT investigation, but vowed to fight on
• December 2014: MPs to debate subpostmaster IT injustice claims
• December 2014: MP accuses Post Office of acting "duplicitously" in IT investigation
• January 2015: MPs force inquiry into Post Office subpostmaster mediation scheme
• January 2015: Post Office faces grilling by MPs over Horizon accounting system
• February 2015: Post Office CIO would talk to any subpostmaster about IT problems, promises CEO
• March 2015: Post Office ends working group for IT system investigation day before potentially damaging report
• March 2015: MPs seek reassurance over Post Office mediation scheme
• March 2015: Retiring MP aims to uncover truth of alleged Post Office computer system problems
• April 2015: Post Office failed to investigate account shortfalls before legal action, report claims
• April 2015: Criminal Courts Review Commission set to review subpostmasters' claims of wrongful prosecution
• May 2015: IT system related to subpostmaster prosecutions under review by CCRC
• June 2015: Post Office looking to replace controversial Horizon system with IBM, says MP
• July 2015: Campaigners call for independent inquiry into Post Office Horizon IT system dispute
• October 2015: James Arbuthnot takes Post Office IT fight to House of Lords
• November 2015: The union that represents Post Office subpostmasters has warned of a problem with the Horizon accounting system
• November 2015: An email from Post Office IT support reveals a problem with the Horizon system and supporting processes that could lead to accounting errors
• November 2015: Group litigation against Post Office being prepared in Horizon dispute