Post Office scandal Yorkshire: Pontefract subpostmistress ‘treated like a criminal’ during Horizon scandal

In a witness statement submitted for the Post Office Horizon inquiry in 2022, Sharon Bennet said she paid more than £5,000 of her own money to cover alleged shortfalls found by the faulty Horizon IT system.

The Prime Minister has just confirmed that the Government will introduce legislation to ensure those convicted as a result of the Horizon scandal are “swiftly exonerated and compensated”.

Speaking at the start of Prime Minister’s Questions, Rishi Sunak said: “Today I can announce that we will introduce new primary legislation to make sure that those convicted as a result of the Horizon scandal are swiftly exonerated and compensated.

“We will also introduce a new up-front payment of £75,000 for the vital GLO (group litigation order) group of postmasters.”

Another 130 people have come forward after an ITV show dramatised what has been described as the most widespread miscarriage of justice in British history, postal services minister Kevin Hollinrake said on Wednesday.

Although Mrs Bennet was never prosecuted, her contract was terminated in 2006 and her finances “were ruined”, the statutory Inquiry, chaired by Sir Wyn Williams, was told in 2022.

Mrs Bennet, now in her 50s, became subpostmistress of Whinney Lane branch in Pontefract in 2005 after working there as a counter assistant. She took over the branch with the intention of running it as a family business.

Following a back injury, Mrs Bennett took a month’s sick leave from the branch. On her return, she was made aware that there was a shortfall of around £3,000.

Mrs Bennet contacted the Post Office helpline and made an urgent request for a trainer to carry out an audit. She also contacted the previous subpostmistress who came to the branch and confirmed that Mrs Bennett had done the transactions correctly - and could not explain the discrepancy.

In early 2006, Mrs Bennett’s branch was audited and an alleged shortfall of more than £500 was discovered. In the statement, Mrs Bennet said she was immediately suspended and “questioned in an aggressive manner” by her area manager, who implied she had stolen the money.

Mrs Bennett’s contract was terminated by the Post Office, on the basis that they had lost faith in her ability to run the branch. She was never prosecuted, but paid more than £5,000 to cover the alleged shortfalls - believing she would face criminal action if she didn’t.

Mrs Bennett’s statement was summarised for the inquiry during a Human Impact Hearing on March 15, 2022, and the full report is available on the inquiry’s website.

“My family has never recovered, and we are still feeling the impact to this day,” Mrs Bennett said.

“I was treated as a criminal, my business was destroyed, my finances were ruined. We lost our home and I had to stop working due to my illness being exacerbated by the stress I was placed under.

“I want the world to know that I and other ordinary, hard-working, decent people like me had their lives ruined by Post Office Limited.”

The public inquiry into the scandal is ongoing.

In a statement on its website, the Post Office “welcomed” the new ITV drama on the scandal. A spokesperson said: “The Post Office shares fully the aims of the Inquiry to establish what went wrong and why, so that such events can never happen again.”