Emma Simpson
Industry correspondent, BBC Information
BBC
Actor Will Mellor (left) portrayed former sub-postmaster Lee Castleton in a TV drama concerning the Publish Workplace scandal
Former sub-postmaster Lee Castleton is launching prison motion in opposition to the Publish Workplace and Fujitsu, changing into the primary person Horizon IT scandal sufferer to sue the 2 organisations.
His case is without doubt one of the maximum top profile within the scandal through which masses of sub-postmasters have been wrongfully convicted after misguided tool stated cash used to be lacking from their department accounts.
Mr Castleton is looking for reimbursement, alleging the civil judgement in opposition to him used to be received via fraud. “I need justice and to be publicly vindicated,” he informed the BBC.
The Publish Workplace stated it used to be “dedicated to doing all we will to lend a hand the ones affected get closure”.
“We can’t touch upon ongoing prison court cases however after we obtain the declare, we will be able to interact absolutely within the procedure,” a spokesperson added.
Fujitsu, which advanced the Horizon IT machine, declined to remark when requested about Mr Castleton’s prison motion.
On Tuesday, Mr Castleton prompt his solicitors, Simons Muirhead Burton, to factor court cases on the Top Court docket in opposition to the Publish Workplace and Fujitsu on his behalf.
Whilst different sufferers have noticed their convictions overturned, Mr Castleton’s civil judgement in opposition to him nonetheless stands. His prison motion is to put aside, or overturn, the judgement.
“I would love to successfully have my day in court docket as neatly,” stated Mr Castleton who’s because of obtain his OBE subsequent month.
He informed the BBC he has little religion within the reimbursement schemes the Publish Workplace has set as much as compensate the wrongfully convicted sub-postmasters that he desires his case to be heard in court docket as a substitute.
Mr Castleton by no means began the reimbursement scheme procedure, even though he has gained an period in-between fee.
He says he additionally sought after to take the motion to lend a hand different sufferers combating for his or her reimbursement.
The Horizon IT scandal used to be push back into the highlight when the ITV drama, Mr Bates vs the Publish Workplace, aired remaining 12 months.
Mr Castleton’s tale used to be informed all the way through the four-part sequence and the previous sub-postmaster used to be portrayed via the actor Will Mellor.
‘Make an instance of me’
In 2007, Mr Castleton misplaced a two-year prison fight in opposition to the Publish Workplace after it sued him to get better £25,000 of money it alleged used to be lacking from his department in Bridlington in East Yorkshire.
When his prison insurance coverage ran out, Mr Castleton needed to constitute himself in court docket and used to be landed with a invoice of £321,000 in prison prices which he could not pay and declared chapter.
“We now know from the Publish Workplace Inquiry that they sought after to make an instance of me,” he stated.
“Lee confronted a David as opposed to Goliath fight in opposition to the Publish Workplace and we’re absolutely in a position to take this the entire option to trial will have to we want to,” says his attorney, Simon Goldberg.
Right through the general public inquiry it emerged that that Fujitsu’s log of identified mistakes wasn’t disclosed to Mr Castleton all the way through his court docket court cases.
The applying to the court docket in Lee’s case will say that the Publish Workplace, conspiring with others, withheld proof concerning the unreliability of the Horizon machine. A witness from Fujitsu additionally gave proof in his case.
“What we are successfully going to be pronouncing is that the declare in opposition to his used to be an abuse of procedure. It used to be by no means about restoration of the amount of money – it used to be to make an instance of Mr Castleton” says Mr Goldberg.
“We additionally consider the judgement used to be received via fraud in that the Publish Workplace and Fujitsu knew completely neatly that the Horizon machine wasn’t operating correctly,” he added.
