Christopher Head OBE

#postofficetrial A big thank you to @KateOsborneMP for joining me @10DowningStreet to hand over the petition & thanks to @itvtynetees for covering the story. The fight will continue until @BorisJohnson @Conservatives call an inquiry into this scandal #inquiry #answers #justice

New PO redress scheme piece updated to carry quotes from affected parties, incl: "They are suggesting a compensation payment of £15,120 for wrongful death. That should just be an interim... They’ve put a very small figure on the death of my father.” postofficescandal.uk/post/redress-s…

My dear client. He sat beside me when I told his story to the Inquiry. I feel numb at his passing. He suffered so much and endured tremendous grief. He was stoical but marked by tragedy. Those malignants who put him through all this are beneath contempt.

Parmod Kalia postofficescandal.uk/post/parmod-ka…

This is a travesty

@NaomiLWood @SteveRobson04 @theipaper @PostOffice @CommonsBTC @HouseofCommons @UKHouseofLords @SarahLudford @KateOsborneMP @RtHonKevanJones @RosieBrock71780 @liambyrnemp @premnsikka @DanNeidle @PeterStefanovi2 Because they still think they are right, exactly the same route they took with Horizon. The government lawyers will be saying capture is irrelevant so you should challenge it.

@chrish9070 @SteveRobson04 @theipaper @PostOffice @CommonsBTC @HouseofCommons @UKHouseofLords @SarahLudford @KateOsborneMP @RtHonKevanJones @RosieBrock71780 @liambyrnemp @premnsikka @DanNeidle @PeterStefanovi2 Yes, Chris. I’m still trying to understand what reasons they might have to fight unless they’re still deluded and in a state of advanced hubris.

#PostOfficeScandal Latest piece by @SteveRobson04 for the @theipaper We see yet again the @PostOffice saying all the right things in public, before the @CommonsBTC earlier this year, their Chairman Nigel Railton stating they would support mass exoneration by legislation and yet now intend to fight all Capture Cases in court. They have never learnt a single lesson from this scandal. I assume this has been sanction by government departments, as they fully control the Post Office (@biztradegovuk ). Everything they say is more double speak. Victims received a fair trial, yet Post Office cannot find all the documentation / evidence. Capture was irrelevant to the conviction, yet they cannot produce all the documentation. They are an absolute disgrace. Post Office will fight Capture victims’ appeals despite admitting IT was faulty‼️ The Post Office is blocking attempts to overturn convictions linked to its faulty Capture software claiming sub-postmasters were able to receive a “fair trial” despite its flaws, The i Paper can reveal. At least 29 sub-postmasters are still waiting to clear their names despite the Government having accepted the findings of an independent review that Capture, a primitive piece of accounting software rolled out in the 1990s, was defective. An investigation by The i Paper revealed how sub-postmasters were forced to hand over cash, sacked, and in some cases prosecuted, in a precursor to the Horizon scandal. A new Capture compensation scheme is open with the first victims having already received £10,000 interim payments and some receiving final settlement offers. But those who were criminally prosecuted by the Post Office will not receive a penny until they are able to overturn their convictions. In a report published this week, MPs from the Business and Trade Committee called on the Government to quash Capture-related convictions, as happened with the 900 Horizon convictions. But the Government has so far resisted such calls and the first Capture case involving Patricia Owen, a sub-postmistress convicted of theft in 1998, has now reached the Court of Appeal. She died in 2003 but her family have continued the fight to clear her name. In January, The i Paper revealed how the Post Office has left campaigners incensed by opposing Mrs Owen’s application. The move came just weeks after Chairman Nigel Railton told MPs he would support mass exoneration for those with Capture convictions. Now The i Paper has obtained a copy of the Post Office’s ‘Respondent’s Notice’ lodged with the court, which sets out the reasons for its challenge to Mrs Owen’s appeal. A central claim is that “the reliability of Capture” was not “essential” to the prosecution, even though the Post Office admits it has been unable to locate the “full” prosecution file. Mrs Owen was prosecuted with five counts of theft relating to Pension and Allowance (P&A) books and stood trial in 1998. At the time, customers would use a specified Post Office to claim their benefits each week. The sub-postmaster would tear off a voucher and pay out the cash and then send off a list to both the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and the Post Office to claim it back. Like many others, Mrs Owen carried out the process manually using written ledgers for years before the Post Office introduced their first computer system, Capture. A summary of his evidence states there were “various faults; some 200 or so had been identified within the program”. Despite this evidence, the Post Office has told the Court of Appeal that: “The reliability of Capture does not appear to have been essential to the prosecution and conviction.” The Post Office has acknowledged Mrs Owen’s case could be the first of many Capture cases to come to the Court of Appeal, and has told the court its position is likely to be the same for any others. Read the full piece👇 inews.co.uk/news/post-offi…

@NaomiLWood @SteveRobson04 @theipaper @PostOffice @CommonsBTC @HouseofCommons @UKHouseofLords @SarahLudford @KateOsborneMP @RtHonKevanJones @RosieBrock71780 @liambyrnemp @premnsikka @DanNeidle @PeterStefanovi2 They’ve admitted the Capture faults already, but they say Capture wasn’t essential to the prosecution and even if it was, they disclosed the problems so they had a fair trial

@chrish9070 @SteveRobson04 @theipaper @PostOffice @CommonsBTC @HouseofCommons @UKHouseofLords @SarahLudford @KateOsborneMP @RtHonKevanJones @RosieBrock71780 @liambyrnemp @premnsikka @DanNeidle @PeterStefanovi2 How would admitting Capture faults affect Post Office insurance?

Another former sub postmaster has died, still waiting for compensation for being wrongly convicted in the Post Office scandal. Parmod Kalia had his conviction overturned in 2021, 20 years after being sentenced to six months in jail after being falsely accused of stealing £22,000 bbc.co.uk/news/topics/c9…

#PostOfficeScandal This morning on @BBCBreakfast hosted by @sallynugent a report by Graham Satchell reported on the sad and terrible news of yet another former Postmaster passing away without seeing justice. Yesterday the family of Parmod Kalia told us of the devastating news that he had passed away aged just 67. The ordeal this gentle and kind man went through was unimaginable. Sentenced to 6 months in prison after being wrongfully accused by the @PostOffice He suffered from depression, anxiety, stress and was diagnosed with cancer, as well as beginning to lose his sight. Yet the Post Office and government made him have to fight at every turn. First designated a public interest case, and therefore was not entitled to compensation, this took over 2 years to overturn. Yet despite acknowledging he was now entitled to redress, he died without seeing his compensation. That is over 5 years since his conviction was quashed and over 2 years since the public interest was overcome.

I spoke to @BBCr4today to discuss our Business and Trade Committee's new report on the Post Office Horizon scandal. It is one year on from our last report and serious structural failings persist. Fujitsu has contributed not a penny to a nearly £2 billion redress bill, while continuing to benefit from public contracts and many sub-postmasters are still waiting for fair redress. Listen here:

The Post Office’s behaviour is disgraceful - first with the victims of Horizon, and now with those caught up in the Capture scandal. They have admitted that the Capture software was faulty. Their own Chairman has said he would support mass exoneration. Yet still they fight the victims. This is indefensible. The Government is the sole shareholder of the Post Office. It must step in and bring this madness to an end. inews.co.uk/news/post-offi…

#PostOfficeScandal Watch former Postmistress @Janetsk20073533 on @itvcalendar with @VickiSmith_ and featuring @CommonsBTC Chair @liambyrnemp Nearly 7 years since the GLO concluded and the scandal was exposed and 5 years since Janet had her conviction quashed at the Court of Appeal she is yet to receive full & final redress, her offer standing at only 48% of claim. To add insult to injury @PostOffice is receiving more government (taxpayer) funding to pay for contractor employee mistakes and @fujitsu_uk @Fujitsu_Global have contributed exactly £0 to the redress bill whilst still recieving hundreds of millions in government contracts in the last 15 months alone.

Parliamentary Committee urges UK govt to quash convictions arising from the Post Office's Capture software, the predecessor to the faulty Horizon IT system. Around 100 postmasters were also prosecuted by DWP. Still no investigation. Need justice for all. news.sky.com/story/investig…

Excited to announce my first book is out in September: Indefensible: How Lawyers Failed to Stop the Post Office Scandal. The Post Office scandal wasn’t just a corporate failure. It was a legal one. Published by Bristol University Press. Pre-order here: bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/trade/indefens…

Our latest report on the Post Office Horizon scandal is now out. “The victims of this scandal have shown extraordinary courage. The country owes them more than apologies — it owes them justice, accountability, and full and fair redress without further delay.” Chair, @liambyrnemp

Fujitsu has paid nothing toward a £2bn redress bill yet still profits from public contracts. 2,500 sub-postmasters are still waiting for their full claim to be paid; 1,500 are still to receive any money. Serious structural failings persist. That cannot continue. @CommonsBTC new report, out today👇 committees.parliament.uk/publications/5…

The redress schemes for victims of the Post Office Horizon scandal have “serious structural failings”, Thousands still waiting for compensation. 11,500 claimants have been paid £1.48bn so far No contribution from Fujitsu; PO execs, lawyers, accountants, theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/m…

The Business and Trade Select Committee is calling for immediate legislation to quash Capture-related convictions. #PostOfficescandal Read more: news.sky.com/story/investig…

MPS call for subpostmaster convictions based on Capture to be overturned by legislation. #PostOfficeScandal computerweekly.com/news/366639931…

#PostOfficeScandal Today the @CommonsBTC chaired by @liambyrnemp releases its report after collecting evidence earlier this year. The summary states :- One year on from the Committee’s last report on the Post Office Horizon scandal, progress has been made delivering redress for victims. But it is not job done. Over 11,300 claimants have now received payments and £1.44 billion has been distributed. But thousands of sub‑postmasters are still waiting for the full and fair redress they are owed. Serious structural failings persist. Many victims still face unacceptable delays, inadequate offers, and administrative processes that re‑traumatise those who have already been wronged. Meanwhile, the technology company Fujitsu, which played a central role in the scandal, has contributed nothing to the bill for redress, and is still growing its public sector revenues. In January 2026, the Committee heard from sub-postmasters, legal experts, Post Office Ltd officials, Fujitsu, the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) and Government Ministers on the progress made and the issues that have been encountered. The Horizon Shortfall Scheme (HSS) is still not fixed. Although fixed‑sum payments have accelerated, fully-assessed claims continue to take far beyond target timelines. Offers are also frequently undervalued and routinely overturned on appeal through the DBT‑run Horizon Shortfall Scheme Appeals (HSSA). Evidence of stark disparities between initial offers and eventual awards reinforces concerns that the HSS is no longer fit for purpose. The continued involvement of Post Office Ltd, the organisation responsible for the original miscarriages of justice, in administering redress continues to undermine trust in the system. The Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme (HCRS) is functioning effectively, but its interim‑payment structure still creates avoidable delays. We also found issues that bedevil the Ministry of Justice’s (@MoJGovUK ) processes for identifying and quashing Horizon‑related convictions under the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Act 2024. Incomplete historic records, inconsistent data supplied by Post Office Ltd, and avoidable administrative mistakes within the MoJ have caused further delays and distress, and there is a real risk that eligible individuals are being overlooked entirely. The absence of a truly independent appeals mechanism for those who have been told that their conviction does not satisfy the conditions of the 2024 Act, risks further injustice. There is emerging evidence that the pre‑Horizon systems, especially Capture, had similar flaws to the Horizon system. This raises the alarming possibility of a wider miscarriage of justice beyond Horizon. Incomplete historical data makes it difficult to establish how many convictions may have been affected. The Committee is deeply concerned that a further cohort of victims may be unable to access redress through current mechanisms. The Committee has therefore made recommendations to all those involved, including the following. The Government should: 1. Provide funded, up-front legal advice to all Horizon Shortfall Scheme (HSS) claimants; 2. Pay the full £600,000 HCRS entitlement upfront to eligible individuals; 3. Publish the outcome of consultations on the new family redress scheme and ensure the definition of “close family member” is broad, including parents, siblings, aunts/uncles and nieces/nephews; 4. Create an independent appeals mechanism for Ministry of Justice decisions on quashed convictions under the 2024 Act; 5. Seek an urgent interim payment from Fujitsu, and publish all government contracts and extensions with the company; and 6. Legislate to quash Capture related convictions and urgently investigate the potential scale of miscarriages of justice linked to pre Horizon IT systems. Read the full damning 61 page report here:- committees.parliament.uk/publications/5… @KateOsborneMP @HouseofCommons @UKHouseofLords @nickwallis @SarahLudford @RtHonKevanJones