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Victims of ‘Capture’, a second faulty Post Office accounting system, say their redress scheme may not be in place until the autumn.
Former sub-postmasters and their relatives met with government representatives for an update on compensation.
While lawyers describe “positive steps”, some victims have told Sky News that they are disappointed with the timescale and described coming up against the “grinding wheels of bureaucracy”.
Capture software was an accounting system rolled out in Post Office branches between 1992 and 1999 and was likely to have caused false shortfalls.
It was the predecessor to Horizon, which led to hundreds of sub-postmasters being wrongly convicted of stealing between 1999 and 2015.
Former sub-postmaster Lee Bowerman, who was never accused of stealing but had to sell his Post Office business after using Capture, said the meeting was a “damp squib” and criticised “the grinding wheels of bureaucracy”.
He agreed that the proposed redress scheme would be “quicker than Horizon” but added “you can’t use them as a yardstick because at the end of the day …people still haven’t been paid out”.
Mr Bowerman added: “So don’t compare us to them when those schemes aren’t even fit for purpose.”
Around 100 Capture victims so far could be eligible for redress.
The scheme, however, would not apply to anyone currently convicted.
The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) have confirmed that they are now reviewing 27 Capture convictions.
Victims were told the government is considering a separate “fast track” redress scheme for anyone who has their conviction overturned in the future.
Steve Marston’s case is among those being considered after he was convicted of stealing from his branch in 1996 following shortfalls of nearly £80,000.
“I don’t think it would be human nature not to be disappointed that [the…
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