A victim of a post office capture says delays in the justice system have made him fear he will never live long enough to see his name cleared.
Steve Marston was convicted in 1998 of stealing almost £80,000 from his branch, based on faulty computer software called Capture, which predated that date. the famous Horizon scandal.
His case has been before the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) for almost a year, but has still not been referred to the Court of Appeal.
Steve Marston fears he won’t be alive to see his name cleared
“Sleeping is not easy”
Mr Marston, who turns 70 in February, told Sky News: “This wait is just unbearable… the chances of all of us (the victims) being there at the end of the game are, well, I would say pretty slim to be honest. »
“The last thing I want to do is not be there when everything is settled,” he said.
“I pray mine gets sorted out while I’m still here to enjoy it.
“You never know what’s going to happen tomorrow.”
He describes waiting for the CCRC to make a decision on his case as “soul destroying.”
“Every day you think about it and you talk about it,” he said.
“You still have a permanent knot in your stomach. Sleeping isn’t exactly easy.”
Mr Marston holds up computer disks containing Capture software at center of scandal
The CCRC announced in July that the case of the late Pat Owen, a deputy postmistress convicted in 1998, would be referred to the Court of Appeal.
THURSDAY, his case has been officially sent to court – three months after the referral decision.
Pat Owen’s case has been referred to the Court of Appeal, but others are still waiting for justice
“A special resolution is needed”
It comes after a Sky News investigation uncovered a damning long-lost report into the Owen affair, which he proved that the Post Office’s lawyers were aware of the capture errors.
Victims’ lawyer Neil Hudgell says there is “no end in sight” for post office bust victims convicted thirty years ago, as CCRC deadlines “continue to slip back”.
He wants to see a “special resolution” for capture cases to “shorten the process”.
“I think these cases need to be handled in exceptional circumstances,” he said.
“You have a cohort of very elderly people who have had a conviction hanging over them for almost three decades now and those circumstances are such that I think they need a special resolution on them.”
Mr. Hudgell believes Expand Government Mass Exemption Legislation – which currently only applies to Horizon victims – could offer a quicker solution.
“You’re talking about a fraction of the number of people,” he said. “It would be a quick solution. But it requires political will.”
Lawyer Neil Hudgell wants ‘special resolution’ for capture cases
Read more on Sky News:
The minister pushed on Horizon
Overhaul of compensation scandals
Post office overhaul plans
CCRC chair Dame Vera Baird, who has been tasked with carrying out a “thorough review” of the organisation, told Sky News that capture cases are being given “whatever priority we can give them”.
She described the main problem with the cases as that for most there is a “real lack of information” and written evidence is not available.
Dame Vera added that staff, however, will “dig and dig and dig to find what we can”.
A special group of case review managers has also been set up to deal with capture cases, with “experienced commissioners ready to step in when cases are dealt with”.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
CCRC chairman speaks to Sky News
Dame Vera said the CCRC as a whole was “quite understaffed” and workers had cases “around 30 or more” but were recruiting.
She also told Sky News that the CCRC had made a special application to “fast track” Owen’s case to the Court of Appeal.
“Once we make a referral,” she said, “we ask, if there’s someone who’s maybe not doing very well or someone who’s older, we try to expedite the process and the Court of Appeal is good, they will almost always expedite it at our request.”
A Post Office spokesperson said: “We continue to cooperate fully with the CCRC in providing documents and information, where available, that have been requested in relation to previous convictions at Horizon.
“While we cannot comment on individual cases, we continue to support the CCRC in handling pre-Horizon convictions. »