At least 8 convictions may be linked to second IT system used by Post Office

At slightest 8 convictions predating the Horizon Post Office ungraded are being looked astatine by the assemblage investigating imaginable miscarriages of justice, Sky News has learned.

The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) has confirmed it is examining aggregate cases of erstwhile sub-postmasters affected by Capture software.

The machine accounting strategy was utilized successful the aboriginal 1990s, anterior to Horizon being introduced to Post Office branches from 1999 onwards.

Horizon was astatine the centre of the Post Office scandal and saw hundreds of sub-postmasters wrongly convicted of stealing from their branches.

The Kroll report, commissioned by the authorities earlier this year, recovered that Capture had bugs and glitches and determination was a tenable likelihood it had caused currency shortfalls too.

Lord Beamish, the erstwhile Labour MP Kevan Jones, has been supporting victims and is calling for the authorities to widen existent authorities to automatically quash convictions.

The Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Act was passed successful May but does not see Capture victims.

Lord Beamish told Sky News helium has raised the contented with the Justice Secretary and called for a House of Lords debate.

"The authorities are going to person to instrumentality this seriously," helium said. "We can't person a concern wherever we person a two-tier strategy wherever radical get exonerated from Horizon and the Capture cases are either forgotten oregon person to spell done a precise lengthy ineligible process to get their names cleared."

He added helium had "little faith" successful the CCRC's "ability to woody with cases", aft aggregate Horizon cases were referred to the assemblage years ago.

"The occupation with these cases is the deficiency of evidence… that has been destroyed oregon mislaid truthful really proving immoderate of these cases done that process volition beryllium precise difficult.

"Therefore I deliberation a broad exoneration similar we had with Horizon I deliberation has got to beryllium discussed and considered for these cases."

The CCRC told Sky News it has 5 cases nether reappraisal "in which the Capture IT strategy could beryllium a factor".

It besides said it is "seeking further information" connected 8 cases referenced successful the Kroll report.

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The CCRC added that the clip taken for a lawsuit reappraisal to beryllium completed was babelike connected the "complexity" of each lawsuit "and however readily disposable accusation astir it is". In a statement, it admitted: "The availability of accusation tin beryllium a peculiar hurdle successful older cases."

Chris Roberts' mother, Liz Roberts, was convicted successful 1999 of stealing £46,000 from the Post Office and spent 13 months down bars.

Liz, who was successful the precocious stages of Alzheimer's disease, passed distant earlier this year.

Chris said she was jailed 4 days earlier helium turned 17, and helium utilized to person "nightmares" that she was "going to dice successful there".

"There was nary grounds of immoderate fiscal summation due to the fact that they went done everything. And evidently the wealth wasn't successful our accounts due to the fact that it didn't exist," helium added.

Despite being offered "three deals" by the Post Office to plead guilty, Liz refused and was sent to prison.

Chris believes that the 2019 High Court triumph by Horizon victims was a missed accidental for the Post Office to look backmost astatine Capture cases.

"It would person been worthy thing past due to the fact that my mum would person died knowing that everybody other knew she was innocent," helium said.

"My dada would person died knowing that the emotion of his beingness wasn't vilified arsenic a criminal."

Chris wants his parent exonerated and "those actively responsible" to "stand up successful court… and warrant themselves".

A Department for Business and Trade spokesperson said: "We were horrified to larn astir the issues with the Capture strategy and are moving intimately crossed authorities to thoroughly analyse Kroll's autarkic study and see what enactment should beryllium taken.

"We proceed to perceive to postmasters and others who person been sharing their views connected the report's findings since its work past month."