Post Office Limited · information technology · criminal prosecution · miscarriage of justice · public inquiry · compensation
What have courts and the public inquiry established about Post Office prosecutions of sub-postmasters based on Horizon data?
As of 30 October 2026, the High Court (2019) had found serious bugs, errors and defects in Horizon, and the Court of Appeal (2021) had quashed 39 convictions, holding the prosecutions in those cases an affront to the conscience of the court. The Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Act 2024 quashed further convictions by statute, with 620 people in England and Wales recorded as having a conviction quashed by 15 September 2026. No court has made a final determination of civil or criminal liability against Post Office Limited, the group litigation was settled in 2019, and police reported no charges in their May 2026 update. The public inquiry has published only Volume 1 of its final report, and Post Office has apologised.
Last verified 30 October 2026. United Kingdom
The record at a glance
| What was alleged? | Sub-postmasters who brought group litigation alleged that shortfalls shown by the Horizon accounting system could be caused by bugs, errors and defects in the system, and that Post Office wrongly treated those shortfalls as debts or evidence of theft and false accounting. Convicted sub-postmasters argued in the Court of Appeal that their prosecutions were unfair and an abuse of process.1,2,3 |
|---|---|
| Who made the claim? | Alan Bates and other claimants in the Post Office group litigation, and appellants in Hamilton & Others v Post Office Limited, 16 December 2019 |
| How did Post Office respond? | Post Office's position before the courts was that Horizon was robust and reliable, as the Court of Appeal recorded in 2021. In Hamilton it did not resist the appeals on the first ground, apart from three, but resisted the second ground in all but four cases. In its current published position Post Office says it is sincerely sorry, that it has not undertaken private prosecutions since 2015, and that its priority is justice and financial redress for victims. Its Chair has issued an unreserved apology following Volume 1 of the inquiry report.3,4,5,6 (the subject's position) |
| Was there an official finding? | The High Court found in December 2019 that bugs, errors or defects in Horizon were capable of causing, and did cause, branch shortfalls, that Legacy Horizon was not remotely robust and that HNG-X still had a significant number of bugs, errors and defects, as summarised by the Court of Appeal.1,7 The Court of Appeal quashed the convictions of 39 appellants in April 2021 and dismissed 3 appeals, finding that the prosecutions in those Horizon cases were an affront to the conscience of the court.3,7 The Court of Appeal found that Post Office knew there were serious issues about the reliability of Horizon and did not adequately investigate or disclose them.3 Parliament quashed further convictions by the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Act 2024, and 620 individuals in England and Wales had a conviction quashed by the Act as at 15 September 2026.10,15 About 1,731 million pounds in redress had been paid to over 14,000 claimants as of 30 September 2026.16 |
| Was liability determined? | No, liability was not determined. No court has made a final determination of civil or criminal liability against Post Office Limited. The Court of Appeal held in 2021 that the convictions of the 39 successful Hamilton appellants were unsafe and that their prosecutions were an abuse of process. That is a ruling on the convictions, not a liability judgment against Post Office. The group litigation was settled in December 2019 before a final judgment on liability, and the report of the settlement does not describe an admission of legal liability. Other convictions were quashed by statute under the 2024 Act. The public inquiry cannot rule on civil or criminal liability under section 2 of the Inquiries Act 2005. Police said on 26 May 2026 that 53 people were under investigation in Operation Olympos, and that update reports no charges.3,7,8,10,13,17 |
| What changed later? | As of 30 October 2026, convictions have been quashed by the Court of Appeal and by the 2024 Act, redress payments are continuing, the police investigation is ongoing without announced charges, and the inquiry's remaining report volumes are awaited.13,14,15,16 |
| When was this checked? | 30 October 2026 |
What was alleged?
Sub-postmasters who brought group litigation alleged that shortfalls shown by the Horizon accounting system could be caused by bugs, errors and defects in the system, and that Post Office wrongly treated those shortfalls as debts or evidence of theft and false accounting. Convicted sub-postmasters argued in the Court of Appeal that their prosecutions were unfair and an abuse of process.1,2,3
Made by Alan Bates and other claimants in the Post Office group litigation, and appellants in Hamilton & Others v Post Office Limited on 16 December 2019.
What did Post Office say?
Post Office's position before the courts was that Horizon was robust and reliable, as the Court of Appeal recorded in 2021. In Hamilton it did not resist the appeals on the first ground, apart from three, but resisted the second ground in all but four cases. In its current published position Post Office says it is sincerely sorry, that it has not undertaken private prosecutions since 2015, and that its priority is justice and financial redress for victims. Its Chair has issued an unreserved apology following Volume 1 of the inquiry report.3,4,5,6
"sincerely sorry for the devastating impact on so many lives"
Post Office Limited (published FAQ). This is the subject's own account, not a finding.
What do independent records show?
Settlement of Bates & Others v Post Office Limited group litigation
Post Office Limited and group litigation claimants, 11 December 2019
The Court of Appeal recorded that the claimants and Post Office agreed terms of settlement at the end of 2019, shortly before Fraser J handed down the Horizon Issues judgment. The Law Society Gazette reported the sum as 57.75 million pounds and quoted the chairman as accepting Post Office had got things wrong in its dealings with a number of postmasters. Neither source describes an admission of legal liability.7,8
Bates & Ors v Post Office Ltd (No 6: Horizon Issues) [2019] EWHC 3408 (QB)
High Court of Justice, Queen's Bench Division (Mr Justice Fraser), 16 December 2019
The court ruled on the Horizon Issues. As later summarised by the Court of Appeal, Fraser J found numerous bugs, errors or defects in Horizon capable of causing, and that did in fact cause, shortfalls in branch accounts. He concluded that Legacy Horizon was not remotely robust and that the later HNG-X version, while slightly more robust, still had a significant number of bugs, errors and defects.1,2,7
Hamilton & Others v Post Office Limited [2021] EWCA Crim 577
Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) (Holroyde LJ, Picken J, Farbey J), 23 April 2021
The court allowed 39 appeals and dismissed 3. It held that Post Office knew of serious issues about Horizon's reliability, failed to investigate and disclose them adequately, and that prosecuting the Horizon cases was an affront to the conscience of the court. It accepted and adopted Fraser J's findings that there were significant problems with Horizon throughout the relevant period.3,7
Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Act 2024 (c. 14)
Parliament of the United Kingdom, 24 May 2024
The Act provides for the quashing of convictions in England and Wales and Northern Ireland for certain offences. Section 1(1) states that every conviction to which the Act applies is quashed on the Act coming into force.9,10
Volume 1 of the final report
Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry (Chair Sir Wyn Williams), 8 July 2025
Volume 1 focuses on the human impact of the scandal and on redress. It is the only volume of the final report published so far.11,12
Operation Olympos investigation update
National Police Chiefs' Council (Operation Olympos), 26 May 2026
Police said 53 people were under investigation, 13 of whom had been interviewed under caution. They said they aimed to submit files for charging decisions in late 2027 or early 2028. The update reports no charges.13
Progress update from the Chair
Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry (Chair Sir Wyn Williams), 8 July 2026
The Chair said he was still some months away from completing the rest of the report. Volumes 2 to 5 are to be published together and Volume 6 not before them. Warning letters had been sent for Volumes 2 and 3, with those for Volumes 4 to 6 to follow in the coming months. No publication date was given.14
Quashed convictions management information (data to 15 September 2026)
Ministry of Justice, 24 September 2026
620 individuals in England and Wales had at least one conviction quashed by the 2024 Act. The ministry had received and assessed 1,011 cases.15
Post Office Horizon financial redress data as of 30 September 2026
Department for Business and Trade, 16 October 2026
About 1,731 million pounds had been paid to over 14,000 claimants. The live schemes listed are the Horizon Shortfall Scheme, its appeals process, the GLO scheme and the Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme. The closed Overturned Convictions scheme paid 68 million pounds before it closed.16
What was established?
- The High Court found in December 2019 that bugs, errors or defects in Horizon were capable of causing, and did cause, branch shortfalls, that Legacy Horizon was not remotely robust and that HNG-X still had a significant number of bugs, errors and defects, as summarised by the Court of Appeal.1,7
- The Court of Appeal quashed the convictions of 39 appellants in April 2021 and dismissed 3 appeals, finding that the prosecutions in those Horizon cases were an affront to the conscience of the court.3,7
- The Court of Appeal found that Post Office knew there were serious issues about the reliability of Horizon and did not adequately investigate or disclose them.3
- Parliament quashed further convictions by the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Act 2024, and 620 individuals in England and Wales had a conviction quashed by the Act as at 15 September 2026.10,15
- About 1,731 million pounds in redress had been paid to over 14,000 claimants as of 30 September 2026.16
Distinctions that matter here
- A conviction quashed by the Court of Appeal follows a judicial finding that it is unsafe. A conviction quashed by the 2024 Act is quashed by statute without an individual judicial review of the case.
- A public inquiry under the Inquiries Act 2005 has no power to determine civil or criminal liability.
- Settlement of the group litigation in 2019 was not reported as an admission of legal liability.
Was liability determined?
No, liability was not determined. No court has made a final determination of civil or criminal liability against Post Office Limited. The Court of Appeal held in 2021 that the convictions of the 39 successful Hamilton appellants were unsafe and that their prosecutions were an abuse of process. That is a ruling on the convictions, not a liability judgment against Post Office. The group litigation was settled in December 2019 before a final judgment on liability, and the report of the settlement does not describe an admission of legal liability. Other convictions were quashed by statute under the 2024 Act. The public inquiry cannot rule on civil or criminal liability under section 2 of the Inquiries Act 2005. Police said on 26 May 2026 that 53 people were under investigation in Operation Olympos, and that update reports no charges.3,7,8,10,13,17
What remains unresolved?
- Volumes 2 to 6 of the inquiry's final report have not been published and have no publication date.
- Redress payments continue across several schemes.
- Operation Olympos is continuing. Police said in May 2026 that they aimed to submit files for charging decisions in late 2027 or early 2028. Whether anyone will be charged is undecided.
What is the current status?
As of 30 October 2026, convictions have been quashed by the Court of Appeal and by the 2024 Act, redress payments are continuing, the police investigation is ongoing without announced charges, and the inquiry's remaining report volumes are awaited.13,14,15,16
As of 30 October 2026. No next proceeding is scheduled in the records we found.
Timeline
- Post Office and the group litigation claimants agree settlement terms shortly before the Horizon Issues judgment, reported as 57.75 million pounds.7,8
- High Court hands down the Horizon Issues judgment in Bates v Post Office.1,2
- Court of Appeal quashes 39 convictions in Hamilton & Others v Post Office Limited.3,7
- Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Act 2024 receives Royal Assent.9
- Inquiry publishes Volume 1 of its final report.11,12
- Police update says 53 people are under investigation in Operation Olympos.13
- Inquiry Chair says the remaining volumes are still some months away.14
- Ministry of Justice reports 620 individuals with convictions quashed by the 2024 Act.15
Sources
- Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, Bates & others v Post Office Limited [2019] EWHC 3408 (QB), 16 December 2019 · document record Court, legislation, official register or regulator record
- The National Archives, Find Case Law, Bates & Ors v the Post Office Ltd (No 6: Horizon Issues) (Rev 1) [2019] EWHC 3408 (QB), 16 December 2019 · document record Court, legislation, official register or regulator record
- Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, Hamilton & Others v Post Office Limited, summary of judgment, 23 April 2021 · document record Court, legislation, official register or regulator record
- Post Office Limited, Horizon & Inquiry, frequently asked questions · document record Filing or formal statement by the subject
- Post Office Limited, We apologise unreservedly: a message from Post Office Chair Nigel Railton · document record Filing or formal statement by the subject
- Post Office Limited (Mynewsdesk), Post Office statement on postmasters' appeals of historical convictions, 30 June 2021 · document record Filing or formal statement by the subject
- Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, Hamilton & Others v Post Office Limited [2021] EWCA Crim 577, judgment, 23 April 2021 · document record Court, legislation, official register or regulator record
- Law Society Gazette, Post Office settles mammoth group action, 11 December 2019 Independent reporting
- legislation.gov.uk, Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Act 2024, introductory text as enacted, 24 May 2024 · document record Court, legislation, official register or regulator record
- legislation.gov.uk, Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Act 2024, section 1 as enacted, 24 May 2024 · document record Court, legislation, official register or regulator record
- Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry, Reports and statements · document record Government, parliamentary or audit document
- Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry, Volume 1 of the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry's final report, 8 July 2025 · document record Government, parliamentary or audit document
- National Police Chiefs' Council, Operation Olympos investigation update, 26 May 2026 · document record Government, parliamentary or audit document
- Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry, Progress Update from Sir Wyn Williams, 8 July 2026 · document record Government, parliamentary or audit document
- Ministry of Justice (GOV.UK), Summary: quashed convictions management information, 24 September 2026, 24 September 2026 · document record Government, parliamentary or audit document
- Department for Business and Trade (GOV.UK), Post Office Horizon financial redress data as of 30 September 2026, 16 October 2026 · document record Government, parliamentary or audit document
- legislation.gov.uk, Inquiries Act 2005, section 2 · document record Court, legislation, official register or regulator record
- Nick Wallis, postofficescandal.uk, Post Office Inquiry final report delayed yet again, 15 June 2026 Secondary commentary
Revision history
- 30 October 2026: First published after source verification.
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