Post Office Horizon Scandal: A Two-Decade UK Injustice Timeline

Government updates redress: £1,731m paid, new review routes and a pre-Horizon software inquiry Redress

A written ministerial statement on 21 October 2026 (UK Parliament) and a GOV.UK release dated 22 October (GOV.UK) set out new measures. Using data as of 30 September 2026, the government reports about £1,731 million paid across the Horizon schemes, with 87% of Horizon claims settled (redress data). The release also says more than 14,000 claimants have been paid.

New deadlines: the Capture Redress Scheme closes to new applications on 31 March 2027 and the Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme on 31 July 2027. New reviews: an independent review for people told there is insufficient evidence for a fixed-sum offer begins later in October, and a review for people who accepted a fixed sum but believe it undervalued their claim opens in November. The government also confirmed an independent investigation into software used before Horizon, following a select committee recommendation; the release gives no report date.

Inquiry chair: the rest of the report is five volumes, and months away Open

Sir Wyn Williams said the remainder of his report would be split into five volumes, that his summer-2025 estimate of about 12 months was “too optimistic” and that he was “still some months away” from publication. Warning letters to people and bodies criticised in Volumes 2 and 3 have been sent, and he expects them for Volumes 4 to 6; he will not pause that process over the summer (Inquiry progress update).

These warning letters are the legal step known as Maxwellisation. AiTimeline found no publication date for Volume 2.

Police: eight million documents, 53 people under investigation Open

Commander Stephen Clayman, national lead for Operation Olympos, said detectives were “currently holding eight million documents”. 53 people are under investigation and 13 have been interviewed under caution, seven of them this year. The team needs to grow from 111 to 210 officers; with that, files for charging decisions are targeted for late 2027 or early 2028, and without it the timetable could slip “as much as five years” (NPCC update). A Home Office special grant of £2.8m was received; the force put its projected budget at up to £19.3m for 2026/27 and beyond.

An investigation is not a finding of guilt, and no one has been charged in the sources reviewed.

Volume 1 of the inquiry report: human impact and redress, 19 recommendations Open

Sir Wyn Williams published Volume 1, covering the human impact of the scandal and compensation. It made 19 recommendations, including an agreed definition of “full and fair” compensation, government-funded legal advice for Horizon Shortfall Scheme claimants and compensation for close family members (5 Essex Court summary; Inquiry reports page). Reports on the volume cited at least 13 people who may have taken their own lives, per press coverage; the inquiry’s own count should be checked in the report.

Scotland passes its own law Law

Scotland has a separate legal system, so the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences (Scotland) Act 2024 received Royal Assent on 13 June 2024 (legislation.gov.uk). The Scottish Government’s statutory report counts 65 quashed convictions and alternatives to prosecution, 62 of which have been notified, and 52 applications to the Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme (Scottish Government).

Parliament quashes qualifying convictions by statute Law

The Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Act 2024 received Royal Assent on 24 May 2024 (legislation.gov.uk). Summaries describe it as quashing convictions for offences in the Horizon period (alleged between 23 September 1996 and 31 December 2018) that were prosecuted by the Post Office or related bodies, with convictions already considered by the Court of Appeal excluded (Institute for Government). It does not cover every post-office conviction, anyone who was only investigated, or any money claim.

AiTimeline could not open the Act’s full text, so check eligibility against the legislation.

Compensation Act lets the government fund redress Law

The Post Office (Horizon System) Compensation Act 2024 received Royal Assent on 25 January 2024. It allows the Secretary of State to spend money on compensation schemes for people affected by the Horizon system (legislation.gov.uk). A brief used for this page placed it in December 2023; the Act’s Royal Assent date is 25 January.

Sunak announces a law to exonerate wrongly convicted postmasters Law

At the start of Prime Minister’s Questions on 10 January 2024, Rishi Sunak announced new primary legislation to exonerate and compensate postmasters convicted because of the Horizon scandal, and an up-front payment of £75,000 to group-litigation claimants (City AM; Channel 4 News). Post Office minister Kevin Hollinrake said “we just do not know how many” of those convicted were guilty. A source brief dated this announcement to November 2023, which is wrong.

ITV’s Mr Bates vs The Post Office broadcasts Law

The ITV drama dramatised the postmasters’ campaign and Alan Bates’s role in it. It is a portrayal, not a legal finding, but the political response followed within days, including the 10 January announcement (Wikipedia). The exact first broadcast date was not checked against ITV’s schedule.

Court of Appeal quashes 39 convictions Courts

The Court of Appeal heard 42 appeals referred by the Criminal Cases Review Commission and quashed 39 convictions, finding that failures of investigation and disclosure by the Post Office were “so egregious as to make the prosecution of any of the Horizon cases an affront to the conscience of the court”. It held that the Post Office had effectively reversed the burden of proof (Judiciary summary; BAILII). A source brief omitted this judgment.

The inquiry becomes statutory Open

The inquiry, set up on a non-statutory basis in September 2020, became a statutory inquiry on 1 June 2021 under retired High Court judge Sir Wyn Williams. Statutory status gave it powers to compel evidence and witnesses (Inquiry).

Horizon Issues judgment: “bugs, errors and defects” Courts

Five days after the Post Office agreed to settle, Mr Justice Fraser handed down the Horizon Issues judgment, finding that Horizon “contained bugs, errors and defects” and rejecting the Post Office’s defence of its robustness (Henderson Chambers; Judiciary). It did not itself overturn any criminal conviction.

The Post Office settles the group action for £57.75m Courts

The Post Office agreed a settlement of about £57.75 million with more than 500 postmasters, reported on 11 and 12 December (Law Gazette; The Register). Alan Bates later said legal costs left claimants with about £12 million between them (Wikipedia). A source brief placed the settlement after the judgment; the settlement came first.

Common Issues judgment: the first major win for postmasters Courts

In the first trial of the group litigation the High Court ruled for the postmasters on how the Post Office’s contracts worked, finding that it had treated them unfairly (Henderson Chambers). The source brief skipped this stage and described only the December judgment.

Group Litigation Order made, 555 claimants Courts

A group litigation order was made with 555 claimants (Wikipedia). Alan Bates, who lost his Post Office contract in 2003 after disputing unexplained discrepancies, was the lead campaigner (Wikipedia).

Mediation scheme ends; the Swift review stays unpublished Origins

In March 2015 the mediation working group was wound up and the Post Office ended Second Sight’s contract. In September 2015 the government told the Post Office chair to review the concerns; the Swift review was finished in February 2016 but was not made public until August 2022 (Wikipedia). Wikipedia describes prosecutions as running from 1999 to 2015, while Operation Olympos dates the Post Office’s private prosecutions as 2000 to 2017; the sources differ and are shown in the table below.

Second Sight finds bugs; a mediation scheme follows Origins

Second Sight’s interim report in July 2013 found bugs that caused false shortfalls at 76 branches. A mediation scheme was set up in August (Wikipedia). The report was disputed by the Post Office, and the process lost support: 140 MPs withdrew backing for the scheme in December 2014.

Independent forensic accountants are appointed Origins

The Post Office appointed forensic accountancy firm Second Sight in 2012 to examine complaints about Horizon (Wikipedia). Campaigners later argued the process lacked independence.

Computer Weekly publishes; postmasters organise Origins

Computer Weekly published its first major report in 2009, drawing on cases that included the Alan Bates dispute, and the Justice for Subpostmasters Alliance was formed in September 2009 (Wikipedia).

Shortfalls, repayment demands and prosecutions Origins

After the rollout, postmasters began reporting unexplained shortfalls. Under their contracts they could be held liable for them. Julie Wolstenholme’s 2003 case ended in a settlement after an expert said Horizon faults could explain discrepancies, and Lee Castleton, pursued for £25,859, was heard in 2006–07 and later declared bankruptcy (Wikipedia).

Pathway to Horizon: a benefits project becomes a branch system Origins

In May 1996 ICL Pathway, part of the Fujitsu group, won a tender to computerise Post Office branches and benefit payments. When the Department of Social Security left the project in May 1999, the branch accounting system was kept as “Horizon” (Inquiry witness statement). ICL was replaced by the Fujitsu Services brand in April 2002. A source brief said ICL was incorporated into Fujitsu in 2001; the inquiry material AiTimeline found supports a 1998 share purchase (put to a witness, not confirmed) and the April 2002 rebrand.