First individual Horizon victim to sue Post Office and Fujitsu

Former sub-postmaster Lee Castleton is launching authorized motion towards the Publish Workplace and Fujitsu, changing into the primary particular person Horizon IT scandal sufferer to sue the 2 organisations.

His case is among the most excessive profile within the scandal during which a whole bunch of sub-postmasters have been wrongfully convicted after defective software program mentioned cash was lacking from their department accounts.

Mr Castleton is looking for compensation, alleging the civil judgement towards him was obtained by fraud.

“I would like justice and to be publicly vindicated,” Mr Castleton instructed the BBC. The Publish Workplace and Fujitsu have been approached for remark.

On Tuesday, Mr Castleton instructed his solicitors, Simons Muirhead Burton, to situation proceedings on the Excessive Courtroom towards the Publish Workplace and Fujitsu on his behalf.

Whereas different victims have seen their convictions overturned, Mr Castleton’s civil judgement towards him nonetheless stands. His authorized motion is to put aside, or overturn, the judgement.

“I might prefer to successfully have my day in court docket as effectively,” mentioned Mr Castleton who is because of obtain his OBE subsequent month.

He instructed the BBC he has little religion within the compensation schemes the Publish Workplace has set as much as compensate the wrongfully convicted sub-postmasters that he desires his case to be heard in court docket as a substitute.

Mr Castleton by no means began the compensation scheme course of, though he has obtained an interim fee.

He says he additionally wished to take the motion to assist different victims preventing for his or her compensation.

The Horizon IT scandal was thrust again into the highlight when the ITV drama, Mr Bates vs the Publish Workplace, aired final yr.

Mr Castleton’s story was instructed in the course of the four-part collection and the previous sub-postmaster was portrayed by the actor Will Mellor.

In 2007, Mr Castleton misplaced a two-year authorized battle towards the Publish Workplace after it sued him to get well £25,000 of money it alleged was lacking from his department in Bridlington in East Yorkshire.

When his authorized insurance coverage ran out, Mr Castleton needed to characterize himself in court docket and was landed with a invoice of £321,000 in authorized prices which he could not pay and declared chapter.

“We now know from the Publish Workplace Inquiry that they wished to make an instance of me,” he mentioned.

“Lee confronted a David versus Goliath battle towards the Publish Workplace and we’re totally able to take this all the best way to trial ought to we have to,” says his lawyer, Simon Goldberg.

Throughout the public inquiry it emerged that that Fujitsu’s log of recognized errors wasn’t disclosed to Mr Castleton throughout his court docket proceedings.

The applying to the court docket in Lee’s case will say that the Publish Workplace, conspiring with others, withheld proof in regards to the unreliability of the Horizon system. A witness from Fujitsu additionally gave proof in his case.

“What we’re successfully going to be saying is that the declare towards his was an abuse of course of. It was by no means about restoration of the sum of cash – it was to make an instance of Mr Castleton” says Mr Goldberg.

“We additionally imagine the judgement was obtained by fraud in that the Publish Workplace and Fujitsu knew completely effectively that the Horizon system wasn’t working correctly,” he added.

Fujitsu declined to remark when requested about Mr Castleton’s authorized motion.