a. Introduction

3.1. It is almost impossible to ascertain, with any degree of accuracy, the number of persons who have suffered as a result of the misplaced reliance upon data produced by Horizon. I can say, however, with a degree of confidence that there are currently about 10,000 eligible claimants in the schemes providing financial redress and that number is likely to rise at least by hundreds, if not more, over the coming months.

3.2. The scale of the suffering endured by those claimants is extremely wide-ranging. At one end of the spectrum, there are claimants who were held liable for small amounts of money allegedly lost to the Post Office – perhaps tens or hundreds of pounds. At the other end of the spectrum, there are claimants who were wrongly convicted and imprisoned, and/or became seriously ill, and/or were declared bankrupt. There are claimants who represent persons who have died. Some of the deceased persons died of natural causes before their convictions were quashed; some have died more recently before their claims for financial redress were determined fully; some are said to have been driven to despair and suicide.

3.3. In this “Human Impact” section, I will concentrate on the suffering of some of those most badly affected. The section contains two sub-sections. Under the sub-heading “Categories of persons affected” (sub-section b), I describe the most severe forms of detriment which many of those most badly affected had to endure and, in some cases, still endure. This is an attempt by me to reduce to essentials the very substantial amount of evidence and other information which has been produced for consideration at the Inquiry.[15] Under the heading “Case Illustrations” (sub-section c), I provide summaries of individual cases which in my view, demonstrate vividly the various aspects of the suffering and detriment which I describe in sub-section b. These Case Illustrations, as I call them, are drawn, mainly but not exclusively, from the evidence given by individuals (both orally and in writing) during the course of Phase 1 of the Inquiry (the Human Impact Phase).[16] However, I should make it clear that whilst these Case Illustrations describe events relating to such topics as audits, investigations and prosecution processes as relayed to me by the person who is the subject of the Case Illustration, I do not, at this stage, make any factual findings about precisely what occurred in the individual cases. My focus in this section is to capture the human impact said to have been experienced following the discovery of Horizon related shortfalls.

3.4. It has been no easy task to choose a comparatively small number of cases which, in my view, best illustrate the wide-ranging and severe forms of suffering which so many have endured. I have received more than 200 witness statements in relation to Human Impact and 74 of those who provided such statements gave oral evidence during the Phase 1 Human Impact hearings. In choosing Case Illustrations from such a volume of evidence, I have been guided by three factors, in particular.

3.5. First, virtually all the persons who provided evidence orally and/or in writing had suffered very significantly and many had endured a degree of hardship which was very severe by any standards. I am conscious that many of those who have provided evidence to the Inquiry about the most severe forms of hardship are now well-known public figures. It is important, in my view, that I shine a light on a significant number of individuals who are far less well known but whose suffering has been acute. Second, I have asked myself whether a particular case is both truly representative of the type of severe suffering endured by many, but, at the same time, has any unusual features which, themselves, are worth highlighting and which may be personal to the individual whose case I am describing. Third, I felt it necessary to limit the number of case illustrations to a manageable number. After much thought I have concluded that I should provide 17 Case Illustrations. That means, inevitably, that there will be an emphasis, in numerical terms, on those persons who were prosecuted and convicted of crimes.

3.6. I have divided sub-section b into various generalised but self-explanatory headings.

Footnotes

[15]

It should be noted that my summary takes account of sources of information which strictly, do not con- stitute evidence. I am referring here to information I obtained when the Inquiry was in its non-statutory phase, from focus group sessions and from the project “In Your Own Words”.

[16]

It should further be noted that this evidence was, for good reasons, not subject to forensic examination or challenge by the Post Office for the purpose of this Inquiry.