Only a fifth of convicted subpostmasters have so far been exonerated

Most of the subpostmasters expecting letters of exoneration after being caught up in the Horizon scandal haven't received them, as ITV News' UK Editor Paul Brand reports

Only 178 subpostmasters caught up in the Horizon scandal have so far been told that their convictions have been quashed.

The Conservative government promised that all those wrongfully convicted would receive a letter exonerating them by the end of July.

However, the vast majority of the 700 subpostmasters who thought they would qualify for a letter have not yet received one.

Data provided by the Ministry of Justice shows just a fifth have so far been sent the official correspondence, which states "The convictions on your record have been quashed."

Earlier this year, the government passed emergency and unprecedented legislation, officially exonerating all those wrongfully convicted.

But so far only 178 subpostmasters have been identified and written to, meaning more than 500 others still technically have criminal records.

David - who doesn't wish to share his surname - is in the minority who have received a letter, though it was sent to his daughter.

He moved to Portugal after being wrongfully convicted almost 20 years ago, serving a two-month prison sentence.

Describing the moment he was sent to a prison cell, he said: "I was numb. There's nothing else you can say, I just sat there absolutely numb.

"Suddenly, there's hilarious laughter from three fellow prisoners behind me and they've got a picture of the Sun newspaper with my face on the front."

David speaks of the moment he was sent to prison, which left him "numb"

He was accused of stealing £33,000 from his post office and pleaded guilty, despite knowing he was innocent.

He says the stigma of his conviction and the debt that accompanied it left him with no option but to emigrate.

He now lives in a friend's house in Portugal, where he was relieved to recently be exonerated, having received a letter.

"I can hold my head up and say, my conviction's been quashed. Come on guys, look at me differently, and people are looking at me differently," he said, brought to tears.

"There were tears last night. That's how it's affected us, in a good way, to know our conviction has been quashed, to say I'm not a criminal anymore."

Solicitor David Enright represents multiple subpostmasters and is angry that the majority are still waiting for a letter.

"People who were wrongfully convicted up to 20 years ago - many have died, many have tried to put it behind them. Many no longer want to put their hand up because people will think, there's no smoke without fire," he said.

"There are an awful lot of inhibitors to people coming forward, and it's not their fault. It is the responsibility of the government and the Post Office, who failed these people, to find them, vindicate them and compensate them."

I asked the former Post Office Minister, Kevin Hollinrake - who steered the legislation exonerating subpostmasters through parliament - why the process was proving to be so slow.

He said: "I do understand what the delay is. What I've heard is the Ministry of Justice is saying there's more cross-referencing of cases than we thought in terms of identifying the individuals.

"I'm not in any shape or form trying to play party politics with this because I never have. But it's really important the new government and the new ministers get hold of this, and don't let it drift."

In a statement, the Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “The Horizon scandal was an unprecedented miscarriage of justice, and the Government is working to notify all postmasters whose convictions have been quashed as quickly as possible.

"We have sent 178 letters to wrongly convicted sub postmasters and have committed to publishing monthly updates on this figure commencing 3rd October.

“Many cases are complex and date back decades, and it is right we ensure every potential victim of this injustice has their case carefully considered."

Subscribe free to our weekly newsletter for exclusive and original coverage from ITV News. Direct to your inbox every Friday morning.

The Post Office Inquiry resumed this week, now turning its attention to the current culture at the organisation.

A new survey released by the Inquiry found that 92% of subpostmasters are still experiencing problems with the Horizon system to this day.

All the while hundreds are left with the stigma of their conviction.

Not exonerated, but exasperated, by the continued delays.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To know...