The government has agreed to have an independent IT expert review of a Post Office software system predating Horizon, amid claims dozens more sub-postmasters may have been wrongly convicted.
The Capture software was rolled out across branches in the 1990s, years before the notorious Horizon system was introduced.
Post Office minister Kevin Hollinrake has met with a former sub-postmaster and a lawyer representing 35 people who believe they were wrongly accused of stealing.
It was agreed between MPs and the Post Office minister that an independent IT expert would assess evidence claiming to “prove” Capture software was prone to glitches.
Steve Marston, 68, believes he was wrongly convicted of theft and false accounting after errors caused by Capture accounting software.
Auditors found shortfalls of £79,000 at his branch in Greater Manchester in 1998. He subsequently pleaded guilty to theft and false accounting.
A predecessor to Horizon, the Capture software was developed by the Post Office and rolled out from 1992.
‘Extremely happy’
Mr Marston, representing numerous others claiming to be victims, met with Post Office Minister Kevin Hollinrake in Central London.
Postal services minister Kevin Hollinrake
He tearfully told Sky News after the meeting that he was “overwhelmed” and “extremely happy” with the way the meeting went.
He presented a copy of the original Capture software, also shown to Sky News, which Mr Marston describes as “definitive proof” of wrongful convictions.
Campaigners discovered floppy disks with the software on them, dating back to the 90s.
Mr Marston says they show that errors in the system could generate false shortfalls in accounts, and believes Capture evidence was used…
