The recent announcement by Rishi Sunak to overturn every Post Office conviction has been hailed by Hasmukh Shingadia, Princess Kate’s postmaster. However, he has also called for the bosses to face further scrutiny and questioning.
Emergency legislation will soon be introduced to exonerate hundreds of individuals wrongly convicted in England and Wales. This landmark decision opens the door for deserving victims to receive significant compensation for the injustices they have endured.
More than 700 Post Office branch managers, who were victims of the Horizon IT scandal, could see their names cleared by the end of this year. However, MPs are now demanding that corporate manslaughter charges be brought against Post Office bosses following the tragic suicides of four wrongly accused workers.
In addressing the House of Commons, the Prime Minister labeled the situation “one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in our nation’s history.” He stressed the importance of granting justice and compensation to those who have had their lives and reputations destroyed unjustly.
The decision comes after the airing of the popular ITV drama “Mr Bates vs the Post Office” over the New Year, which sparked a political crisis. Postmasters have long fought for their names to be cleared, and this development marks a significant step forward. Nonetheless, the battle is not over, and compensation remains a crucial issue for those who are still awaiting resolution.
Hasmukh Shingadia, also known as Mr. Bates in real life, expressed his relief at the news. He highlighted that for many, this decision would allow them to close a painful chapter in their lives and walk with their heads held high. However, he emphasized the need for swift action regarding compensation, as the Post Office has been slow to address the issue.
Hasmukh Shingadia runs the Spar village shop in Upper Bucklebury, Berks, a shop frequently visited by Princess Kate and Prince William. In 2011, he was wrongly convicted of false accounting, despite the ongoing support of the Princess and her parents. It took him a decade to have his conviction overturned, and he now joins the growing number of victims calling for Sir Ed Davey, the embattled Lib Dem leader, to surrender his knighthood. Hasmukh Shingadia criticized Davey for not doing enough to uncover the truth during his tenure as post minister when many were wrongly imprisoned based on evidence from Fujitsu’s flawed Horizon software.
It is essential that everyone involved in this scandal, including Paula Vennells, the former Post Office chief, and Ed Davey, face further questioning under oath during the Horizon public inquiry. Hasmukh Shingadia believes that serious questions need to be asked about what was hidden from the public and why. He believes that previous ministers, including Davey, did not push hard enough to uncover the truth, which campaigners have been seeking for years. Hasmukh Shingadia called for Davey to answer these questions before considering returning his knighthood.
The fight for justice continues, and victims eagerly await the compensation they rightly deserve. While this decision marks significant progress, there is still work to be done to ensure that all those affected by this scandal receive the justice and closure they have been fighting for.
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