Lee Castleton, one of the crucial high-profile victims of the Horizon IT scandal, has launched a £4.5 million lawsuit in opposition to the Submit Workplace and Fujitsu, alleging malicious conduct, abuse of course of, and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.
The authorized motion, which represents the primary particular person declare of its type in opposition to each organisations, was revealed via newly printed court docket paperwork. The declare units out forensically detailed losses and raises the prospect of a harmful court docket battle that would reshape accountability for one of many largest miscarriages of justice in British authorized historical past.
Mr Castleton was portrayed by actor Will Mellor within the ITV drama Mr Bates vs the Post Office and was awarded an OBE for providers to justice earlier this 12 months. Talking to the BBC, he stated: “It’s not in regards to the cash. What issues to me is that I get vindication from the court docket.”
Mr Castleton, a former sub-postmaster in Bridlington, East Yorkshire, was wrongly accused in 2004 of a £25,000 shortfall in his department’s accounts on account of errors within the Horizon IT system, developed by Fujitsu.
In 2007, after a two-year authorized battle with the Submit Workplace, Castleton was ordered to pay £321,000 in authorized prices and was made bankrupt. He had defended himself in court docket after his authorized insurance coverage ran out. His was the one civil declare the Submit Workplace ever introduced in opposition to a sub-postmaster — a call the official inquiry later heard was made to “set an instance”and deter others from difficult the system.
Now, Castleton is searching for justice via the courts as soon as once more — this time on his phrases.
In his civil declare, Castleton outlines each quantifiable monetary losses and normal damages, together with:
- £940,000 in previous misplaced earnings
- £864,000 in future lack of earnings
- £933,000 in previous pension losses
- £133,000 in property-related losses
- £232,000 in misplaced rental earnings
- £109,000 from the pressured sale of his enterprise
He’s additionally searching for:
- £30,000 for psychological misery
- £30,000 for stigma and reputational harm
- £45,000 for harassment
- £50,000 for maliciously inflicting his chapter
His solicitor, Simon Goldberg of Simons Muirhead Burton, described the declare as “startling”, including: “That is the primary time forensic particulars of a sub-postmaster’s declare have been made public. The complexity and extent of the damages replicate the life-altering affect of what occurred to Lee.”
Castleton’s authorized staff accuses the Submit Workplace of abusing the authorized course of, arguing that the judgment made in opposition to him in 2007 was “obtained by fraud”. They additional allege that the Post Office and Fujitsu conspired to withhold essential proof, together with inside data of bugs within the Horizon system and the existence of distant entry by Fujitsu staff to sub-postmaster accounts — which undermined the integrity of transaction data.
The declare additionally references the position of Gareth Jenkins, a former Fujitsu engineer who gave proof in lots of Horizon prosecutions. The Submit Workplace didn’t disclose in civil litigation that Jenkins had breached his responsibility as an skilled witness — a revelation that has since change into central to the scandal’s broader authorized fallout.
Castleton argues that the 2019 group litigation settlement, through which he was one of many 555 claimants, doesn’t cowl his present declare, and that the Submit Workplace once more withheld materials proof that ought to have influenced the end result of that case.
Along with compensation, Castleton is searching for to have the civil judgement and chapter order in opposition to him put aside. His legal professionals allege that these authorized actions — pursued whereas the Submit Workplace was conscious of flaws in its IT system — have been unjust and malicious.
The Submit Workplace declined to touch upon the case particularly, citing ongoing authorized proceedings, however stated: “We recognise the devastating affect of the Horizon IT scandal on former postmasters like Mr Castleton. The Submit Workplace right this moment is dedicated to doing all we are able to to assist these affected get closure.”
Fujitsu additionally declined to remark when approached by the BBC.
Mr Castleton has chosen to not have interaction with the federal government’s Horizon compensation scheme, stating that he has misplaced religion within the course of and as a substitute needs to pursue full judicial vindication.
Jamie Younger
Jamie is Senior Reporter at Enterprise Issues, bringing over a decade of expertise in UK SME enterprise reporting.
Jamie holds a level in Enterprise Administration and repeatedly participates in trade conferences and workshops.
When not reporting on the newest enterprise developments, Jamie is obsessed with mentoring up-and-coming journalists and entrepreneurs to encourage the subsequent era of enterprise leaders.