'We're giving Horizon compensation claims kick up the backside'

A former sub-postmaster wrongly convicted of embezzlement has launched a support group to speed up compensation payments for Scottish victims of the Post Office scandal.

Rab Thomson said he wanted to give those issuing redress to affected people in Scotland a "kick up the backside".

More than 900 sub-postmasters were wrongly prosecuted between 1999 and 2015 after the faulty Horizon IT accounting system, designed by Fujitsu, made it look like money was missing from branch accounts.

Mr Thomson, who had his 2006 conviction quashed last year, said he hoped the Scottish Postmasters for Justice and Redress Group would allow those pursuing compensation in Scotland to access legal help.

He said the group would also offer medical support for those who have developed mental health issues.

The Horizon scandal has been described as the most widespread miscarriage of justice in modern times.

Mr Thomson, from Alva, took over the Post Office in Cambus, near Alloa in Clackmannanshire, from his mother Margaret in 1999.

In 2004, he was prosecuted after an audit found a shortfall of about £5,700 and sentenced to 180 hours community service.

His mother died before he was able to officially clear his name.

Mr Thomson said the group, launched alongside the National Federation of Sub-Postmasters (NSFP) and former MP Marion Fellows, would help those seeking financial redress through the complicated legal system in place in Scotland.

He said: "No matter how much money you are going to get, it will not bring back my mother or people who took their own lives.

"What we're looking for is people to be happy again and forget what happened in the past, because we went through complete torture and there's no one in Scotland that we could turn to at any time and ask for advice.

"So hopefully, we're doing the right thing and we move on from there and I would feel really appreciated if people come forward and speak to me."

Legislation exonerating wrongly-convicted victims in Scotland came into force last year.

The Scottish government identified 141 potential cases after the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences (Scotland) Bill became law in June 2024.

A total of 96 were assessed as being affected by Horizon.

By February 2025, 64 sub-postmasters had their convictions quashed, while 11 cases are still being assessed.

The Scottish government oversees legal ramifications such as quashing convictions for victims.

However, financial compensation is handled by the UK government through the Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme (HCRS).

About £768m has been paid out to 5,100 claimants across the UK, from a potential 9,800.

Mr Thomson said Scotland lagged behind England and Wales when it came to issuing compensation payments.

He said: "I know there is a lot of elderly people out there from Scotland who are frightened to come forward.

"What we are trying to do is get the redress to the people who are entitled to it.

"Because it has taken so long in getting the money to the people, we want to kick them up the backside and get this moving quicker."

The case was brought back into the public arena by an ITV drama that followed the scandal being uncovered.

It charted the work of campaigner Alan Bates, who has fought for wrongly accused sub-postmasters for decades.

Calum Greenhow, chief executive of the NSFP, said there were more victims who were yet to come forward.

He said he was still receiving phone calls from those who have been affected by the scandal "every day" and added there could be further victims who were impacted by previous Post Office systems called Capture and Ecco+.

Mr Greenhow, a former postmaster of 29 years, said the group would allow those in Scotland to access local solicitors.

He said: "These are individuals who have been so badly let down in so many different ways that their confidence and their trust in the authorities has been detrimentally damaged.

"Scotland has a different legal system to England and Wales and we need to make sure that everyone within Scotland is dealt with properly and fairly and they also have somewhere local to come to get that help and support and get their names restored and any redress required."

The Scottish government's justice secretary, Angela Constance, encouraged anyone affected by the scandal to come forward, regardless of how long it has been.

She said: "I am pleased the legislation the Scottish government brought forward last year has now resulted in 64 people having their convictions identified as quashed and therefore access to redress from the UK government as a result.

"There is no time limit under the legislation and the Scottish government will always look into any cases where people give their name as a possible miscarriage of justice case."

The UK government's Post Office minister, Gareth Thomas, said: "The Horizon scandal represents one of the biggest miscarriages of justice of our time and has had a profound impact on thousands of postmasters, including across Scotland.

"One of the first acts of the new government was to launch the HCRS, which is paying redress to people like Rab who have had their convictions overturned by the legislation."