Four Post Office victims who took own lives and will never get justice

10 January 2024 , 12:54

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Martin Griffiths tragically took his own life after being wrongly accused in the Post Office Horizon scandal (Image: liverpool echo)

Hundreds of ordinary families were torn apart after postmasters were wrongly accused of swindling money - with some so damaged by the ordeal that they decided to end it all.

The Post Office scandal, dubbed the UK's biggest miscarriage of justice, saw more than 700 postmasters wrongly accused of fraud, theft and false accounting over unaccounted cash that wasn't even missing thanks to a glitchy IT system. Tragically, of the accused, four are said to have taken their own lives.

No amount of compensation can ever make up for the lives lost as a consequence of the wrongdoing, but the Government's decision to introduce legislation to exonerate victims has been strongly welcomed. Rishi Sunak made the long-awaited announcement at Prime Minister's Questions today following a public outcry in the wake of ITV drama 'Mr Bates vs the Post Office'.

The scandal all started in 1999, when a new IT system, Horizon, was installed in branches across the country in a bid to improve efficiency. But as a result of errors in the technology, it created incorrect financial discrepancies, with those running the branches stuck with the blame.

So far, only 93 have had their convictions quashed, however, ministers have spent the past few days considering how they can clear the names of hundreds more. The PM told MPs: "Today I can announce that we will introduce new primary legislation to make sure that those convicted as a result of the Horizon scandal are swiftly exonerated and compensated.

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"We will also introduce a new up-front payment of £75,000 for the vital GLO (group litigation order) group of postmasters." The PM added: "We will make sure that the truth comes to light, we right the wrongs of the past and the victims get the justice they deserve."

While some postmasters faced prison sentences and bankruptcy after being convicted, here we take a look at the victims who are believed to have devastatingly taken their own lives during the fallout...

Martin Griffiths

Martin Griffiths was just 59 when he died from suicide (liverpool echo)

Father-of-two Martin Griffiths tragically died by suicide in 2013 at the age of just 59, after being falsely suspected of financial wrongdoing at his post office branch in Ellesmere Port. Martin's family say the enormous strain took a toll on the sub-postmaster's physical and mental health, and in 2020 they called upon the government to take a far stricter line of review.

Recalling the grief his family endured after losing Martin, his nephew Samuel Caveen told the Liverpool Echo: "The weeks after Martin died were the worst weeks of our lives. When my uncle passed away, I got a phone call in the middle of the night from his wife, Gina. That was horrendous. Looking back, his death seems to have stolen away such precious time. He should be a proud grandfather now as his son had a child last year and his daughter is expecting, but he's not been here to see that.

"I feel like it's a significant portion of my family taken away from me. Family gatherings were and have been curtailed. My uncle had his life and his reputation torn apart by the Post Office and his mental health was completely destroyed. It's an absolute tragedy."

Fiona McGowan

Fiona McGowan died in January 2009

Mum-of-two Fiona McGowan reportedly spiralled into a deep depression after she and partner Phil Cowan, were accused of stealing £30,000 from her Edinburgh post office. She died from an accidental overdose in 2009, while waiting to appear in court. She was only 47 years old.

Phil Cowan, who now lives in Thailand, told The Sunday Post: "Fiona may well be still alive today if she had not been facing court for false accusations of theft and died before clearing her name."

Peter Huxham

Peter Huxham lost his marriage because of the scandal (Exrpess and Echo)

In July 2020, police discovered the body of Devon postmaster Peter Huxham, who had died alone at home in a suspected suicide after serving an eight month prison sentence over a £16,000 shortfall. Peter's 22-year marriage had disintegrated due to his ordeal, and he'd been struggling with alcoholism and mental health issues.

Recording an open conclusion, assistant coroner Stephen Covell stated: "It is unfortunately rather an unsatisfactory state of affairs that I cannot give any helpful conclusions as to the precise circumstances of Peter's death. He lived alone and died some weeks previously, and as a result his body was badly decomposed and it was not possible to give a cause of death. There were no suspicious circumstances."

Louise Mann

Louise Mann, the wife of a postmaster in Moretonhampstead, Devon, tragically took her own life in 2012 over the shame of being labelled a thief. Her husband Charles, 66, reportedly did not receive any compensation. The father-of-one said: "I lost my job. Then I lost my wife."

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In 2020, the Post Office paid out a £57.75m settlement after more than 550 claimants brought group legal action over the Horizon system, which was found to contain software flaws that caused financial shortfalls in the sub-postmasters' branch accounts over a number of years. An investigation later revealed Post Office managers knew IT problems could be to blame for missing money but still prosecuted staff.

A Post Office spokesman said: "We have taken determined action to address past events and we are working to reform the Post Office, to forge an open and transparent relationship with the thousands of current postmasters providing customers with vital services in the UK’s communities. We agreed a comprehensive resolution last year with claimants in group civil litigation, following successful independent mediation. We sincerely apologise to those affected."

The Mirror has launched a petition demanding that Alan Bates is honoured with at least a CBE after former Post Office chief executive Paula Vennells said she would return her honour on Tuesday. We believe Mr Bates, the ex-postmaster who led the decades-long fight to expose the Horizon system scandal, now should be recognised with the same honour himself - if not a knighthood.

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Julia Banim