Post Office victim 'proud' to be appointed OBE

A former sub-postmaster whose life imploded after being falsely accused of stealing £25,000 from the Post Office has been appointed OBE in the King's New Year Honours.

Lee Castleton was declared bankrupt after losing a two-year legal battle when accused of stealing from his branch in Bridlington, East Yorkshire, in 2004.

He was among hundreds of workers wrongly prosecuted between 1999 and 2015, after a faulty IT accounting system made it look like money was missing.

Mr Castleton said: "I am very honoured. Very proud. It's fantastic to be rewarded in such a way, [but] the end goal is getting the right outcome for everybody."

Some workers were fired, made bankrupt or even sent to prison, in what has been described as one of the biggest miscarriages of justice ever seen in the UK.

Mr Castleton's award is in recognition of his ongoing fight for justice on behalf of other victims.

His wife, Lisa, said she feared it was bad news when the "very official" letter, which contained notification of her husband's appointment, landed on their doormat.

She said: "The first thing that went through my mind was, 'what have we done?'"

Mr Castleton said he hoped the honour would help keep the scandal in the public eye, as he and other victims continue their push for justice.

He said: "It's so important that people realise this is not over.

"I am still talking to a member of our group who is sofa-surfing – living in other people's homes over Christmas – because they have no home of their own."

In January, the ITV drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office catapulted the scandal into the nation's living rooms.

Mr Castleton was played by the actor Will Mellor, who previously starred in Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps.

"People stop me in the street," said Mr Castleton. "[They are] so warm, so caring, so thoughtful. It's wonderful. So uplifting."

Earlier this month, a long-running inquiry into the scandal concluded.

Chaired by Sir Wyn Williams, the inquiry heard from nearly 300 witnesses in person, with many more submitting written statements.

Sir Wyn's verdict is "many months" away, the BBC previously reported.

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