Subpostmasters south of the border are set to be cleared of their convictions in new law
THE UK Government has confirmed that subpostmasters in England and Wales will be cleared of their convictions caused by the Horizon system.
Set to come in July this year, Westminster has announced plans to introduce a new law that will quash all convictions defined by a “clear and objective criteria”.
This will see hundreds of postmasters south of the border have their names cleared after what many have been calling one of the biggest miscarriages of justice in the history of the UK.
It is estimated that more than 900 subpostmasters were wrongfully convicted in the UK between 1999 and 2015 due to the faulty Horizon system.
Scotland has already discussed a four nations approach to this matter but this may take some time, as the original convictions were dealt with by the Scottish Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal.
First Minister Humza Yousaf has already expressed the SNP’s desire to work on this matter together in a letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
In the letter to the PM, Yousaf said: “The Scottish Ministers are keen to work with the UK Government to deal with the impact on sub-postmasters convicted in Scotland, ensuring that a UK-wide approach is taken to exonerating those wrongfully convicted in Scottish courts.
“Given the unique circumstances arising from the Post Office Horizon scandal, it is right that normal processes for appeals are set aside to ensure that justice can now be delivered for those whose lives were greatly impacted by their wrongful conviction.”
