Lawyers specialising in representing people wrongfully convicted as part of the Post Office Horizon scandal have welcomed the launch of a new scheme today under which hundreds of newly exonerated people will be able to claim compensation.
Hudgell Solicitors have been central to the fight for justice for former Post Office workers for the past five years, helping close to 100 people to clear their names in the courts and have convictions quashed, settling claims with a value well in excess of £30million to date.
Now, solicitor Neil Hudgell, whose firm has also represented former subpostmasters throughout the ongoing Public Inquiry into the scandal, says his firm is set to help former Post Office workers navigate their way through the newly created Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme (HCRS), ensuring it delivers ‘full and fair compensation as quickly as possible for all’.
Mr Hudgell said:
I warmly welcome the launch of the new scheme. We have more than 170 exonerated postal workers already signed up today for us to assist them with their claims as the scheme opens for business.
We are privileged to be helping so many wronged sub-postmasters now they are rightly exonerated, with any criminal record erased.
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Scheme will offer £600,000 payment – or chance to pursue higher award
Under the new scheme, people exonerated by the new Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Act 2024, which was introduced in May, will be able to register for the scheme, entitling them to an initial £200,000 interim payment.
They will then be able to elect to either accept a fixed compensation proposal of £600,000 or proceed to have their case fully reviewed and quantified.
Those who do this will receive a further payment of £250,000, taking their payment to £450,000.
Scheme must bring ‘full and fair compensation in a timely manner’
Mr Hudgell says he expects there will be some people who do have ‘very significant claims’, in excess of the £600,000 being offered, and that his team is dedicated to ensuring people are given the right advice to ensure they pursue damages reflective of their own situation, and the impact their convictions had on their lives. He said:
We have had many meetings with Government and the civil service over a period of time ahead of the launch of this scheme, including with the new Minister in the last week.
We are confident they recognise the challenges our clients face, and that over the next few weeks we can deliver final outcomes to those for whom £600,000 represents a fair settlement, and begin to piece together final loss schedules for those who have very significant claims.
We have been representing effected sub-postmasters for more than five years now and there is not much we have not seen in that time. We have helped bring closure to some, with ongoing negotiation for others. We have settled claims with a value in excess of £30 million.
We hope our experiences that have been shaped during that time, have been listened to by Government and that the new scheme delivers full and fair compensation in a streamlined and timely manner.
Our work will not be done until every wronged sub-postmaster or Post Office worker is cleared without a stain on their character, and compensated fairly.
I would urge anyone who has not yet come forward to do so. Legal teams signed up to the scheme do so on the basis that all their costs are paid by the Post Office and the sub-postmasters keep 100% of their compensation.