People exonerated as a result of the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences (Scotland) Act: FOI release

Information requested

• How many people has the Scottish Government identified who will be automatically exonerated as a result of the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences (Scotland) Act?
• The Justice Secretary said she would be writing to those affected to tell them their convictions have been quashed. How many people has the justice secretary written to to tell them their convictions have been quashed?

Response

I can confirm that to date the Scottish Government has identified two people whose conviction was quashed by the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences (Scotland) Act 2024 (the Act).

To date the Cabinet Secretary has written to two people to tell them their convictions were quashed by the Act.

The Scottish Government is clear that anyone wrongly convicted as a result of the defective Horizon IT system should have their conviction quashed, and as a result be entitled to UK Government compensation.

Since the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences (Scotland) Act 2024 was passed, the Scottish Government has identified 141 cases that could be eligible. This is a very complex process involving several partner agencies and the handling of sensitive personal information and data.

With the necessary procedures now in place, the Scottish Government has started to inform individuals and expect within the next two months to confirm with the majority of eligible people that they have had their convictions quashed.

Those who do not receive a letter, and believe that they are eligible for compensation, can register for the UK Government’s scheme at www.gov.uk/horizon-convictions-redress-scheme.

The Scottish Government has written to the Criminal Justice Committee explaining the processes in place to identify and contact eligible people and the link is attached below.

Letter from Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs to Justice Committee dated 16 Sep 2024

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