Calls for Horizon compensation scheme to cover second Post Office IT system 'Capture'

There are calls for efforts to compensate and clear the names of sub-postmasters caught up in the Horizon scandal to be extended to those affected by another Post Office IT system.

Capture, which was a precursor to Horizon developed in-house by the Post Office, led to a number of sub-postmasters being accused of “accounting malpractice” with some having their contracts terminated. Some resigned, while others were prosecuted or had to pay money back.

The government has agreed to commission an independent inquiry into the Capture system.

However, North Durham MP Kevan Jones has called for legislation to exonerate sub-postmasters caught up in the Horizon Scandal to be broadened to cover those impacted by the software.

He believes there are many more people impacted by Capture who are yet to come forward.

He told ITV Tyne Tees: "We know from the Post Office's own evidence that over a hundred postmasters were either dismissed or prosecuted in the North East alone.

"If only 50 of those were wrongly accused, that's 50 families and 50 postmasters in the North East whose convictions are unsafe. Lives are ruined and need putting right.

"The Horizon scandal has been called the largest miscarriage of justice in the UK. This is another one.

"The idea that after all the publicity around Horizon, the Post Office didn't come clean about Capture and it took me and others to discover this, is remarkable. It just shows again there's more coverup, which has to be exposed."

Correspondence seen by ITV News, sent from the Post Office to sub-postmasters in the North East in 1999, stated that around 100 in the region had either had their contracts terminated or resigned since 1993.

However, documents seen by ITV News suggest the Post Office was aware of faults with the Capture system.

A series of newsletters for Capture users, called 'Captivation', were published by the Post Office and sent to postmasters across the country.

It is thought the newsletters consistently referred to bugs and issues being identified within the software.

Release notes from versions of Capture show developers were already aware of some faults with the system.

The notes for Capture C70, a version of the software released in 1997, read: "Although a number of software faults have been fixed in this release, it is unlikely that every fault has been banished from the Capture program, and as with the development of any new software application, new releases are liable to introduce their own problems.

"Therefore if you notice any errors, or anything that you are not sure is correct, pleasebring it to the attention of the Capture Help Desk... even if you have seen it before."

A Post Office spokesperson said: "We continue to actively investigate a number of lines of enquiry relating to Capture and throughout this we have regularly kept the Department for Business and Trade and Kevan Jones MP up to date with our findings.

"We have now shared a recommendation with the Department about what should happen next and hope to provide further information with past users of Capture as soon as we’re able to.”

A Department for Business and Trade spokesperson said: “As soon as these accusations came to light, we asked the Post Office to investigate the Capture system.

“Minister [Kevin] Hollinrake confirmed in Parliament that we have agreed to instigate an independent review of the Capture software.”

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