World News – UK – The Horspath Postmaster has overturned the conviction in court

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A former postal manager is among six whose convictions were overturned in court today.

Former Horspath sub-postmaster Vipinchandra Patel was officially overturned this morning in Southwark Crown Court for embezzlement of funds.

In the scandal, hundreds of sub-postmasters were wrongly convicted of crimes such as misbooking, fraud and theft when the accounts had unexplained shortcomings and inconsistencies.

Sub-postmasters say they were told that if they did not admit that they took the money out of the Post’s funds, they would likely go to jail.

“The past nine years have been hellish and a total nightmare, but today I feel like I can start living again. I can look forward and focus on enjoying life, ”said Patel.

“I feel euphoric when I was finally confirmed. This belief has been a cloud over my life for almost 10 years. There are members of my family in India who I never told about and my mother died five years ago without knowing what we went through as a family.

“It has impacted every aspect of life, causing breakdowns in relationships with some family members and friends, affecting the lives of my wife and children, and making me sick and unable to work because of my criminal record.

« We kept our shop even though we lost the post office, but we’ve lost so much business over the years that people heard of my conviction and didn’t come in. « . A new beginning begins today, but that should never have happened. ”

Mr Patel was sentenced to 18 weeks imprisonment for fraud in June 2011 after being charged with 75. Stealing a thousand pounds.

The conviction is overturned two months after the Post confirms it would not reject or contest 44 of the first 47 cases referred to the Court of Appeal by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC). .

The postmasters and their lawyers say they were all victims of the company’s flawed Horizon IT system, which made mistakes that made it appear like they were taking cash.

Hudgell Solicitors’ attorney Neil Hudgell represented three of the six whose convictions were overturned. He said, “Today is a historic day. These people have always been innocent, but they each had a criminal record against their name, which they had to live by for many years, which brought many difficulties into their lives. Today they can finally hold their heads up again as their names have been officially clarified in court. ”

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Postmaster, Conviction, Post Office Ltd, Horizon, Judgment, Motion for Reversal