'Name and shame', says cleared sub-postmaster

A Lincolnshire sub-postmaster wrongly convicted of theft says he wants those responsible for the Post Office IT scandal to be "named and shamed".

Tom Hedges' comments came after the first report from the official inquiry described the impact on those wrongly accused as "disastrous".

Thousands of people were accused of stealing from their own branch accounts and hundreds were convicted, when a faulty computer system was to blame.

Sir Wyn Williams' report accuses the Post Office of "wholly unacceptable" behaviour, leading to suicides, bankruptcies, failed marriages and wrecked families.

Mr Hedges, who ran the post office in the village of Hogsthorpe, near Skegness, for 15 years, said he was not surprised at the report's findings.

"For years the Post Office knew that their system was absolutely useless and would throw up these erroneous figures left, right and centre," he said.

"But they chose the easy path which was to pick off lowly individuals.

"We were all lied to, we were all told 'no it's only you suffering these problems'.

"It's a despicable organisation, absolutely despicable."

The Post Office has apologised unreservedly for what it called a "shameful period" in its history and said it would carefully consider the report.

Sir Wyn will look at how the scandal happened and who was responsible in a later report.

Mr Hedges, 72, said he was "really looking forward to seeing people named and shamed".

"Because I was certainly named and shamed and they are getting a taste of their own medicine," he said.

In 2010, Post Office investigators launched a prosecution after finding alleged shortfalls in the accounts.

He was wrongly convicted of theft and given a seven months suspended prison sentence.

"It was a horrendous time," Mr Hedges recalled.

"Half our friends didn't believe that we could have done these things, but the other half firmly did believe that we were right rogues.

"It put a tremendous strain on our family."

He was forced to sell the post office, which was also the family home, to pay back the £60,000 the Post Office claimed was missing.

Mr Hedges said he was forced to live on benefits in a rented house as he was unable to get a job due to his criminal conviction.

He had his conviction overturned by the Court of Appeal in 2021.

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