Former postmasters cleared after Britain’s biggest miscarriage of justice

They protested their innocence. But the computer said no. And the Post Office pursued them until they lost homes, livelihoods and in some cases, their liberty.

Today the Court of Appeal quashed the convictions of 39 former sub-postmasters, the largest miscarriage of justice in British history. When the new Horizon computer system started throwing out numbers that indicated a shortfall in local post office accounts, the Post Office went after the sub-postmasters rather than the expensive but faulty software.

The court declared the prosecutions “an affront to the conscience of the court” and Post Office management apologised for the “deep pain” caused. But will anyone be held to account?