'I had a nervous breakdown' says former sub-postmaster victim of the Horizon Scandal

Tony Downey, a former Cumbria subpostmaster and victim of the Horizon scandal, has given evidence to parliament's Business & Trade Committee.He told the committee how he was forced to try and make up £36,000 in imaginary shortfalls, which led to his bankruptcy.The scandal forced him to sell the business and declare himself bankrupt, he said: "I had a nervous breakdown, we left the village (Hawkshead), ran away without saying goodbye to our friends, put our daughter in school in another country, never been back to the UK for 15 years - apart from these last few weeks"

Mr Downey started the business in 2001 and said he had started experiencing shortfalls in the system from day one.

After the Post Office started to notice the shortfalls, he was suspended but allowed to have his job back if he went to the bank to get £3,000 to pay into the system.He claimed he was told it would be his fault if he experienced any more shortfalls and the business would be closed.He told the committee this forced him to keep the shortfalls hidden from the post office until he had maxed out all of his credit cards and couldn't keep covering the apparent losses.

Mr Downey said the compensation he was offered was "nowhere near what it should have been," after waiting eight months for an offer."It's almost like we're not believed, it's as though we're making this up."This happened to us, they did this.

"They admit it on paper, but when it comes to it, they're not bothered."

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