Freeths to support further victims of Post Office Horizon scandal as new compensation scheme launched

National law firm Freeths will advise postmasters and other people who are among the hundreds whose criminal convictions are being overturned as a result of the flawed Horizon IT system. The launch of the Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme (HCRS) will deliver benefit to those who have had to live with wrongful convictions for years and have not yet received compensation after the original High Court rulings secured by Freeths and Justice for Postmasters Alliance (JFSA). 

Post Office Horizon compensation

Are you, or do you know someone, affected by a Post Office Horizon-related conviction?

In May 2024, the government passed legislation quashing convictions for up to 950 individuals affected by the Post Office Horizon scandal, most of whom have not yet received compensation for this miscarriage of justice.

Are you eligible?

• You were either running or working in a Post Office branch, with or without an employment contract, that was using or had installed the Horizon system
• You were convicted between 23 September 1996 and 31 December 2018 of offences including false accounting, theft or fraud (including conspiracy to commit these offences)
• You were based in England, Wales or Northern Ireland (N.B. Scotland has a different system)
• You could still apply if you have a deceased family member that was affected
• You could still apply if you have a deceased family member that was affected

• Freeths launched the landmark High Court victory for its 555 sub-postmaster clients, which exposed Britain's largest miscarriage of justice, which led to the quashing of hundreds of criminal convictions and the ongoing public enquiry being established
• In 2022, following a tireless campaign by Sir Alan Bates and the Justice for Subpostmasters Alliance (JFSA), the firm’s legal team was appointed by the government to consult on the design and implementation of the GLO scheme to award further compensation to the 555 postmasters who succeeded in the High Court
• We have worked for the sub-postmasters for almost a decade on the Post Office Horizon scandal
• We won the High Court case for 555 wrongly-prosecuted sub-postmasters from 2016 until 2019, successfully pursuing civil compensation claims against Post Office Limited
• We are currently supporting several hundred sub-postmasters in the recovery of compensation in the government-funded GLO Scheme
• In 2021, a statutory inquiry was commenced in relation to the Horizon software and the actions of Post Office Limited towards its sub-postmasters. We have assisted the inquiry and been instructed by key witnesses

James Hartley, Partner and National Head of Dispute Resolution at Freeths, said: 

Sir Alan Bates, who has been at the forefront of the campaign to secure justice for sub-postmasters affected by the Horizon scandal, said:

We are urging people to come forward to find out if they are eligible under the new scheme,  please get in touch: OverTurnedConvictionTeam@freeths.co.uk

Those who are eligible for the Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme (HCRS) will have:

• You were either running or working in a Post Office branch, with or without an employment contract, that was using or had installed the Horizon system
• You were convicted between 23 September 1996 and 31 December 2018 of offences including false accounting, theft or fraud (including conspiracy to commit these offences)
• You were based in England, Wales or Northern Ireland (N.B. Scotland has a different system)
• You could still apply if you have a deceased family member that was affected
• You could still apply if you have a deceased family member that was affected

Our national team, led by James Hartley, is now considered to be one of the foremost Dispute Resolution teams in the UK.