What are Post Office cases?
“Post Office” cases refers to the conviction of sub-postmasters for theft, fraud and dishonesty offences where faulty IT systems used by the Post Office played an important role in the evidence used to secure the conviction.
Since the early 1990s, the Post Office has used its private investigation and prosecution powers to prosecute over 700 sub-postmasters.
Hundreds received prison sentences, community punishments orders and criminal records and many were made bankrupt.
There are now two different types of Post Office applicant to the CCRC:
1. Horizon applicants
2. Pre-Horizon applicants
The type of applicant relates to which computer system the person was using at the time of the offences of which they were convicted.
Horizon cases
The Post Office Horizon scandal was the most widespread miscarriage of justice the CCRC had ever seen, and it represented the biggest single series of wrongful convictions in UK legal history.
The scandal related to the wrongful prosecution of former sub-postmasters for theft, fraud and false accounting between 1999 and 2015.
The CCRC has referred 77 Horizon convictions to the appeal courts – resulting in 69 convictions being overturned to date.
A judicial inquiry into the Horizon scandal was upgraded to a statutory inquiry in June 2021.
In January 2024, ITV released a four-part television drama, Mr Bates vs The Post Office, which brought the Horizon scandal to public attention.
On 10 January 2024, the Prime Minister announced that the Government would introduce new primary legislation to make sure that those convicted as a result of the Horizon scandal had their convictions quashed and could be compensated.
On 24 May 2024, the legislation contained in the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Act 2024 came into effect to quash Post Office convictions.
This removed the need, for most people, to apply to the appeal court or the CCRC to try and overturn their “Horizon” convictions.
As a result, the CCRC’s work on Post Office cases is now largely concentrated on pre-Horizon systems, including Capture, though the CCRC continues to review a small number of convictions related to Horizon.
You can find out about the CCRC’s Horizon cases in our case study on the scandal.
Pre-Horizon cases
During the Horizon public inquiry, it was identified that sub-postmasters had also experienced accounting problems with the Post Office “Capture” accounting system, which had been used in many Post Offices before Horizon was installed, and had received convictions as a result.
The government directed an independent review of the Capture system which resulted in a report published by independent forensic accountants Kroll Associates in September 2024 that concluded that “there was a reasonable likelihood that Capture could have created shortfalls for sub-postmasters.”
In December 2024, the Government, in accepting this report, directed people who thought they may have been convicted in connection with Capture to contact the CCRC.
In October 2025, the CCRC made its first referral in connection to the Post Office Capture system to the Court of Appeal.
On 29 October 2025, the Government announced details of a new redress scheme for postmasters who suffered due to the Post Office’s Capture accounting software. This redress scheme applies only to people who do not have a criminal conviction related to the system. For those who may have criminal convictions related to Capture, the appropriate route is through the CCRC.
If you believe you have been the victim of a miscarriage of justice in connection with the Post Office Capture system, you can contact the CCRC for a free review of your case.