A former sub-postmaster has spoken of her fears that she and others could miss out on receiving the compensation they deserve as victims of the Post Office Horizon scandal.
Tracey Merritt, 54, who ran a branch in Yetminster, Dorset, found herself charged over a £13,500 shortfall in her branch accounts in 2009 and was publicly shamed in her local newspaper, sacked from her job and lost the adjoining shop she ran too.
The Post Office then dropped the charges against her – having already destroyed all she had worked so hard for in life.
Mrs Merritt told BBC Radio Solent how she was left struggling financially, was shunned by people she thought were her friends, and that she was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after having suicidal thoughts.
Despite her suffering, she says she fears she still may be unable to seek compensation.
It comes after Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry chairman Sir Wyn Williams raised his own concerns over a potential ‘loophole’ relating to those charged with offences only to be acquitted, or for the Post Office to drop the charges against them.
He is to hold a two-day hearing next month to hear submissions on issues relating to compensation, to which the legal team at Hudgell Solicitors has already made representations.
Solicitor Terry Wilcox was also interviewed by the BBC about the ongoing confusion over who can seek compensation, especially relating to people who were part of the initial group action against the Post Office in 2019, and those ultimately not convicted of crimes.
He said: “There has been plenty of confusion over compensation due to various rulings and legal definitions.”
By way of example, he said, “The malicious prosecution definition within the Group Litigation referred only to convicted claimants, yet in general law, malicious prosecution isn’t so narrowly defined.
“For somebody to bring a malicious prosecution case, they only have to show that the wheels of law have been set in motion against them to establish that they have been prosecuted.
“The chairman of the Public Inquiry has already asked for submissions from the main parties in relation to the compensation schemes that are available and if possible he is going to close loopholes. He will make his position known when he makes his recommendations.
“We’d certainly like to hear from people who have found themselves in a similar situation to Mrs Merritt to offer our support going forward, and ahead of the hearing next month, as we continue to fight for justice for all affected by this scandal.”
Treatment by Post Office left sub-postmaster feeling suicidal
Speaking to BBC Radio Solent, Mrs Merritt revealed how she and her family had struggled ever since the Post Office sacked her on Christmas Eve in 2009, and made her fear she would end up in prison. She now fears she may be denied compensation too.
“We are just in no-man’s land. Unless somebody says ‘these people need compensation as well’ we’re not going to get anything,” she said.
“I’ve had everything taken away from me. Everything I knew was taken. The business I thought I would pass on to my children was gone, everything I’d worked hard for was suddenly taken overnight.
“As a sub-postmaster you are held up as part of the community and suddenly everyone is calling you a thief or saying ‘you’re the woman who got caught with her fingers in the till. When you hear that day in day out, it gets to you. I just literally wanted to fall into a hole and never come out again.
“I was told I was going to go to Dorchester Women’s Prison and that if I didn’t co-operate and say I was guilty and take the sentence, they were going to after my daughter and put her in prison instead. There are a lot of people who have never spoken to me since this happened, and that’s hard.
“I’d suddenly break down and cry and I had a complete meltdown. Then I started to have suicidal thoughts which was really scary. I scared myself as I didn’t’ know that it was PTSD.”
Mrs Merritt’s story, and an interview with solicitor Terry Wilcox, can be heard on the BBC Radio Solent morning show here, from 1.10.00 into the show.
If you were affected by the Post Office Horizon Scandal and are yet to secure justice, call our team today or email [email protected]
Read more: Post Office Horizon Legal Representation