New Year Honours Recognise Campaigners of the Post Office Horizon Scandal

The 2025 New Year Honours list has acknowledged individuals who played pivotal roles in uncovering and addressing the Post Office Horizon scandal, one of the most significant miscarriages of justice in recent British history. Among the honourees are former sub-postmasters and campaigners who tirelessly sought justice for those wrongfully accused. The following individuals have been appointed Officers of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for their services to justice:

Jo Hamilton

A former sub-postmistress who was among the first to raise concerns about the Horizon system’s inaccuracies. Her advocacy has been instrumental in bringing the issue to light.

Seema Misra

A former sub-postmistress from West Byfleet, Surrey, who was wrongfully convicted and imprisoned while pregnant. Her case exemplifies the severe personal toll of the scandal.

Lee Castleton

A former sub-postmaster who faced financial ruin due to the faults in the Horizon system. His persistence has been crucial in the fight for justice. Christopher Head: A former sub-postmaster who campaigned vigorously for the rights and vindication of those affected by the scandal.

The Horizon Scandal: A Brief Overview

The Horizon IT system, introduced by the Post Office in 1999 and developed by Fujitsu, was intended to streamline accounting processes across its branches. However, the system was plagued with faults that led to discrepancies in branch accounts. Between 1999 and 2015, more than 900 sub-postmasters were convicted of theft, fraud, and false accounting based on faulty Horizon data. Many faced financial devastation, reputational damage, and imprisonment.

A central figure in the campaign for justice is Sir Alan Bates, a former sub-postmaster who founded the Justice For Sub postmasters Alliance (JFSA) in 2009. After the Post Office terminated his contract in 2003 over a false shortfall, he sought out other sub-postmasters in the same position and led a group litigation against the Post Office, resulting in a settlement. Despite the settlement, Bates has continued to campaign for fair compensation for sub-postmasters.

Ongoing Efforts and Challenges

While the recognition of these individuals in the New Year Honours list is a significant milestone, the journey towards full justice and compensation continues. As of January 2025 only about a quarter of the allocated £1.8 billion for compensation had been disbursed, leading to calls for a legally binding timetable to ensure timely payments.

The Horizon scandal serves as a stark reminder of the potential consequences of flawed software systems and underscores the importance of ethical responsibility in software development. It highlights the need for rigorous testing, transparency, and accountability to prevent such injustices in the future.

“Trustworthy Software must be at the core of our profession”, said John Ellis, a Fellow of the Institution of Programmers and a member of various committees on the subject with both the British Standards Institute (BSI) and the International Standards Organisation (ISO). We should be striving to improve our coding standards and make it more resilient, especially to cyber-attacks.

By John Ellis FIAP, MBCS, FRSA – Senior Partner and CTO of Wellis Technology