LONDON – At least 13 people have taken their private lives as a result of the British Post Office scandal, where approximately 1,000 postal employees were tried or convicted of criminal violations due to a defective computer system.
Another 59 people thought about suicide on the scandal, one of the largest miscarriages of justice in the history of the United Kingdom.
From about 1999 to 2015, hundreds of people who worked in the post office branches were convicted of stealing, fraud and wrong accounting based on evidence from the defective information technology system. Some went to prison or were forced to bankruptcy. Others have lost their homes, suffered from health problems, collapse in their relationships, or became their societies.
Retired judge Wayne Williams, who heads a public investigation in the scandal, said in a report published on Tuesday that 13 people killed themselves as a result of the defective post office accounting system “showing a fake deficit in the branch accounts,” according to their families.
The problems in the state’s mail office were working as a private company, known for years. But the full scope of injustice was not widely known until last year, when Docudrama has pushed the scandal to the national headlines and the galvanized support of the victims.
The perpetrator was a program called Horizon, which was created by the Japanese company Fujitsu, which was presented by the post office 25 years ago via branches to automate sales accounting. When the program showed a false deficit in the account, the post office accused the branch managers of honesty and obligated them to pay the money.
In all, the report said that about 1,000 people were prosecuted and condemned based on evidence of incorrect data. The government has since provided legislation to reverse the condemnation and compensation for the victims.
Williams said that some large post office staff knew – or should have known – that the horizon system was defective. But “the post office maintained the imagination that his data was always accurate.”
Joe Hamilton, a former post office manager and main activist, said the report “shows the full scope of the horror they called us.”
In a statement, the head of the post office pledged to make sure that all the victims were compensated.
“The post office did not listen to the post office manager, and as a organization, we let them down. The director of the post office and their families have suffered from pain,” Nigel Rilton said. “It took a long time to clarify their names, and in many cases, to receive recession.”
A Tuesday’s report was the first to be published from the investigation, which was launched by the government and has the ability to request evidence from all parties. Another report is expected to issue a later date that would address those who were wrong to oversee the scandal and may blame.
If you or anyone you know in a crisis, call, or text message 988, or go to 988Lifeline.orgTo reach a suicide lifeline and crises. You can also call the network, previously known as the National Life Artery to prevent suicide, on 800-273-8255Or visit Speakingfsuicide.com/resources.