The long-awaited resolution of the Post Office Horizon scandal could be pushed back by half a decade, police leaders have cautioned, dealing a fresh blow to victims who have already waited years for accountability. The warning comes as investigations into potential perjury and false accounting by Post Office managers and Fujitsu staff threaten to bog down in the sheer complexity of evidence, numbering millions of documents and thousands of cases.
For the sub-postmasters and postmistresses wrongly convicted of theft and fraud between 1999 and 2015, the news is devastating. Many have died, or seen their lives ruined, while awaiting justice. The scandal, which saw faulty accounting software routinely implicate innocent operators, has been called the most widespread miscarriage of justice in modern British history. Yet nearly three years after the landmark Court of Appeal quashed 39 convictions, only a handful of individuals have faced any formal action.
Detective Superintendent at the Metropolitan Police, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the probe, admitted that the scale of the task was unprecedented. “We are looking at a potential timeline of three to five years before cases reach court. The volume of digital evidence alone is immense. Every single interaction between sub-postmasters and the Horizon system needs to be forensically examined.”
The warning has infuriated campaigners and MPs. “This is another kick in the teeth for the victims,” said Alan Bates, former sub-postmaster and founder of the Justice for Sub-postmasters Alliance. “They’ve waited 20 years for the truth. Now we’re told it could be another five. Meanwhile, Fujitsu executives are still getting bonuses.”
At the heart of the delay is a shortage of specialist investigators and the need to coordinate across multiple forces and with the Crown Prosecution Service. The Post Office itself, now under enormous public pressure, has set aside £1 billion for compensation, but only a fraction of victims have seen a penny. The government has meanwhile launched a statutory public inquiry, but that too is running behind schedule.
The impact on the kitchen table is clear: victims often remain in financial distress, some dependent on state benefits or charity. Those who ran successful businesses saw them collapse, their local communities losing essential services. The stress has caused health problems, broken marriages, and in some cases, suicide. For every year of delay, more of the original victims pass away.
“Justice delayed is justice denied,” said Labour MP Kevan Jones, a long-time campaigner. “The police need more resources now. The government must step in and fund this properly. We cannot let the guilty walk free while the innocent wait in limbo.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “We recognise the immense hardship suffered by sub-postmasters and are committed to ensuring that justice is done. The Metropolitan Police have our full support in conducting a thorough investigation, and we are working to ensure that the necessary resources are in place.”
But for those on the ground, the words feel hollow. As the probe drags on, the threat of a statute of limitations becomes a real worry. For now, the fight for justice enters another agonising chapter.
