Some of the children of a deputy chief minister embroiled in the Post Office scandal have called for a “family fund” to be set up to compensate for the impact of their parents’ mistaken beliefs and financial collapse on their lives.
More than 700 subpostmasters and mistresses were disgraced on charges of theft and false accounting, and many were bankrupted or jailed over the computer system known as Horizon.
A number of people running branches were convicted between 1999 and 2015, although after years of campaigning only 95 were dropped.
Now, their children want financial support to “make up for the opportunities we were denied growing up.”
The Lost Opportunities for Deputy Postmaster’s Children campaign group was set up following the incident. scandal Supporting children aged 18+ who have been affected by the wrongful conviction of a parent.
They called for the creation of a so-called “family fund” that would include some financial aid, including counseling and travel bursaries.
The organization is run by Katie Downey, whose family started a new life in France after her father Tony Downey was affected by the Post Office’s faulty Horizon software .
She urged Fujitsu, which supplies Horizon IT systems to the post office, to meet with her.
Supporting the movement is Adi Misra, whose pregnant mother Seema was wrongly imprisoned for nearly five months.
Admishra
He also needed help and told Sky News his mother’s wrongful conviction for stealing £75,000 had led to him “considering suicide”.
His mother was sent to prison on his tenth birthday, leading him to question: “What’s the point of living when my mother’s not here?”
Adi Misra and his mother Seema in 2013
“We want to speak out and show that we are affected too,” he said.
“We are also seeking compensation for education grants, consultancies, travel bursaries, things like that that really impacted us during our childhood.”
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Cornerstone lawyer Sam Fowles, who has helped overturn the wrongful convictions of some deputy postmasters, told Sky News it was difficult for the children of deputy postmasters to obtain legal compensation.
He said: “I think from a legal perspective they may face an uphill battle but they have a clear moral case.
“From a legal perspective, there are two issues. The first is that there is a concept in English law called remoteness.
“This means the further away you are from the direct harm caused by the problem, the less likely you are to receive compensation.”
Barrister Sam Fowles
Some deputy postmasters themselves have yet to receive full and final payments.
Mr Misra said his mother was still waiting and it continued to have a profound impact on her.
He said: “She has not recovered. I don’t think she will recover. She is also scarred for life. The fact that she actually committed suicide is heartbreaking.”
Fujitsu said in a statement: “We are in discussions about future meetings with legal representatives of victims who have a central role in Sir Wan Williams’ investigation.”
read more:
More than £1m in claimed Post Office ‘profits’ may have come from deputy postmaster
Post office to be removed from Horizon compensation process, minister says
When asked for comment, the Post Office referred Sky News to the Department of Business and Trade.
A spokesman for the Department of Business and Trade said: “We consider a variety of issues when assessing compensation to the postmaster. This includes shared losses to members of the postmaster’s family who are affected, for example, if the family home is destroyed.
“We are also discussing proposals for an advisory committee to provide mental health support to individual post office victims and family members.”
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can contact Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the United States, call your local Samaritans chapter or 1 (800) 273-TALK
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