Earlier Horizon rollout could widen net for quashed Post Office convictions
- Reference: 1767791702
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2026/01/07/post_office_horizon_rollout/
- Source link:
Amanda Pearce, casework operations director at the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) - an independent public body that reviews possible miscarriages of justice - told the Commons Business and Trade Committee that new Post Office information suggested Horizon was installed earlier than originally believed.
This could mean some convictions previously thought to predate the system may now qualify for automatic quashing under the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Act 2024.
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Pearce told MPs she was investigating possible miscarriages of justice under computer systems prior to Horizon's introduction, but the Post Office continued to provide new details.
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"We've recently had the information on one of the pre-Horizon cases, which suggests that, in fact, Horizon was installed earlier than had originally been thought, and that case may be one that benefits from the Horizon legislation. It's complex to try and pin down the information in these cases," she told MPs.
Horizon is an EPOS and back-end finance system that was first implemented by ICL, a UK tech firm majority-owned by Fujitsu in the 1990s and fully acquired in 1998. It has undergone two subsequent upgrades.
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From 1999 until 2015, around 736 subpostmasters were wrongfully prosecuted and convicted over Horizon errors, devastating lives in the process. A statutory inquiry into the mass miscarriage of justice launched in 2021 and is ongoing.
Its first report found that senior Post Office staff in the UK – and those working for suppliers Fujitsu and ICL – knew or should have known about the defects causing errors in the Horizon system. It also found that 13 suicides were recorded, most likely linked to the Post Office prosecutions, in which Fujitsu provided technical support.
The Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Act 2024 was introduced to fulfill the commitment made by then Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in January 2024 to quash convictions that resulted from errors in the Horizon system. [5]The legislation applies to "certain offences alleged to have been committed while the Horizon system was in use by the Post Office."
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Pearce said that, due to the age of the cases, there was a significant lack of reliable information from the Post Office. The Department for Business and Trade had provided a list of 480 convictions in the 1990s. There is a [7]separate scheme for redress for the pre-Horizon Capture computer system , designed to provide fair compensation for those who suffered financial shortfalls as a result of the faulty system.
The CCRC was reviewing a number of prosecutions, while a case had also [8]been referred to the Court of Appeal .
[9]Fujitsu pumps £280M into UK arm to keep lights on after Horizon scandal
[10]Fujitsu under fire for bidding on UK public sector deals despite Horizon scandal vow
[11]Fujitsu sorry for Post Office horror – but still cashing big UK govt checks
[12]Post Office and Fujitsu execs 'should have known' Horizon IT system was flawed
A 2019 judgment in a case brought by subpostmasters found Horizon was introduced in late 1999 and 2000. The court ruled the Post Office's insistence that the system could not cause discrepancies was inconsistent with evidence of bugs in both the original and later versions.
At the same hearing, Fujitsu boss Patterson was forced to defend accusations that the company continued to profit from the UK public sector despite its role in the miscarriage of justice.
Chairing the committee, Labour MP Liam Byrne questioned Fujitsu's decision not to put aside money or contribute to the compensation scheme until the public inquiry had reported.
"You're trying to present Fujitsu as a changed and ethical company. There doesn't appear to be a problem with cash flow, there doesn't appear to be a problem with profitability. There is definitely culpability. But your refusal to tell us how much Fujitsu will pay into a £1.8 billion bill for taxpayers leads people to the conclusion that, frankly, Fujitsu is behaving like a parasite on the British state without [stepping] up to its obligations," Byrne said.
"We're not a parasite," Patterson responded. "The government has got an option as to whether they wish to extend those contracts or not. If [it wishes us] to walk away from those contracts, we'll walk away from those contracts. I think that would be detrimental to society [and] the UK government."
He said Fujitsu had won around £500 million in re-procurement and contract extensions from the UK government since it [13]promised not to bid for new government work in 2024 . ®
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[5] https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2024/14
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[7] https://www.gov.uk/government/news/compensation-for-post-office-capture-victims
[8] https://news.sky.com/story/major-milestone-in-post-office-scandal-as-capture-case-referred-to-court-of-appeal-13450966
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2025/10/13/fujitsu_uk_280m_funding/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2025/09/05/fujitsu_bid_pause_promise/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/17/fujitsu_govt_contracts/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/08/post_office_horizon_inquiry/
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2024/01/19/fujitsu_pauses_uk_public_sector_contracts/
[14] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Anecdotal evidence
Software doesn't just magically appear. There are betas, pilots, and so forth.
I worked at ICL from 1995 to 1998. I was at the FCY03 building in Footscray, Sidcup. It was a three floor building with many outsourced support helpdesks in it. The flagship client was Microsoft, but there were many others - Escom, Seagate, Compaq, Polaroid, Motorola, Apple, just to name a few. (Actually if I recall correctly Apple were in FCY02, but many of their systems were hosted in FCY03 as 02 was a tiny outhouse of a building by comparison.)
I recall that in 1998 a small helpdesk for the Post Office was set up. It was on the ground floor, near the front of the building, at least to start with. I think it was intended to be around three to six people, quite small by our normal standards.
I'm sure I was told that it would expand as we were going to be supporting a new system for post office branches. I don't recall it ever arriving whilst I was there, and I think that when I left ICL that helpdesk was mostly supporting the Post Office's Post Code Database software. But there was a constant rumour that this tiny helpdesk would expand "soon" as they were just about to start rolling out this new system to post offices.
Aaaaaany day now. Any day. No, really, it could be any day now. Honest.
The reason this sticks in my mind is that there wasn't much more space on the ground floor. If they were going to grow that team, they'd probably have to move it to another floor. Maybe even another building. Which would mean not just repatching network ports but possibly also running new connections between floors or buildings, and all the hassle that can entail.
Around mid 1998 this ceased to be my concern as I moved on to pastures new.
But it wouldn't surprise me if there were some earlier cases than 1999. My recollection is that they were definitely saying they'd be supporting it. Any day now... so there were wheels moving in 1998, and someone may well have been using it in a pilot somewhere...
Re: Anecdotal evidence
Software doesn't just magically appear. There are betas, pilots, and so forth.
For a team following some vaguely sane development practises I'd expect this. But can we be sure Fujitsu were? (You have seen the example code fragments from Horizon posted online, haven't you?)
Re: Anecdotal evidence
ICL were my first employer. I was later very shocked to find out that other companies did not work the same way.
I have many stories which not only prominently feature their unusual management practices, but would be impossible without them.
So yes, it's quite possible that there was no beta or pilot.
But the one thing I'd like to stress is that a pilot would probably be billable. And being billable made almost anything possible within ICL.
Therefore I suspect the chances of a pilot were high.
When I reflect on my time at ICL I come to the realisation that baffling, trying circumstances were inevitable. The only difference between billable and non-billable bafflement was that Management would acknowledge, even celebrate, the billable bafflement. Non-billable bafflement was ignored or actively denied, despite its obviously plentiful portions.
WTAF???
"I think that would be detrimental to society [and] the UK government."
Said some random mouthpiece that is sent in to deny, deny and deny.
As far as I am concerned, both Post Office and Fujitsu are equally responsible. Both parties should be coffering up and setting right, as far as money can of course, the wrong that they both manifested on these poor individuals.
W.Anchors.... the lot of them.
Hear ends the rant/sermon.
>” He said Fujitsu had won around £500 million in re-procurement and contract extensions from the UK government since it promised not to bid for new government work in 2024.”
A more forceful government would lean on Fujitsu and have them wavier payments as their contribution to the fund…
"But your refusal to tell us how much Fujitsu will pay into a £1.8 billion bill for taxpayers leads people to the conclusion that, frankly, Fujitsu is behaving like a parasite on the British state"
^ Those were strong words from Liam Byrne and they were fully justified given Fujitsu's poor conduct. For example, when the Horizon system was rolled out back in 1999, sub postmasters started putting in complaints about Horizon but no one listened. I would want Fujitsu to put in hundreds of millions of pounds into that compensation fund since they were the authors of that Horizon abomination.
This is a relevant article:
Fujitsu bosses knew about Post Office Horizon IT flaws, says insider
https://www.computerweekly.com/news/252496560/Fujitsu-bosses-knew-about-Post-Office-Horizon-IT-flaws-says-insider
Oh...And By The Way.....................
....why is Paula Vennels not in jail?
I heard her excuse......"I did not know about any of this"....................
Really?? You were the CEO!!!!!
Yup........why no jail time?
I think we should be told!
Re: Oh...And By The Way.....................
Either in jail or forced to pay back every penny of her unearned salary. She can't have it both ways.
"We're not a parasite," Patterson responded
Well, I don't routinely agree with many MPs, but Mr Byrne thinks Fujitsu are and so do I, so that's two to one. Motion passed!
Fujitsu are parasites on the government. Obviously there's plenty of other similar lice such as Crapita.