I've been treated like dung, says oldest Post Office victim

A 91-year-old erstwhile sub-postmistress, the oldest unfortunate of the Post Office IT scandal, has been offered little than a 3rd of what she had claimed successful compensation.

Betty Brown and her hubby spent much than £50,000 of their savings to screen the unexpected losses which started arsenic soon arsenic the Horizon machine strategy was installed successful her branch.

She was hounded retired of her occupation and forced to merchantability her station bureau astatine a knockdown terms successful 2003.

“We’re conscionable treated similar dung,” Mrs Brown told the BBC.

The authorities said it was settling claims astatine a faster complaint than ever before.

Mrs Brown’s lawyers, with the assistance of forensic accountants, spent astir 3 years preparing her assertion for compensation.

When her connection came through, it was for 29% of what she had claimed.

“I’m wholly disgusted. It simply adds insult to injury," she said.

Mrs Brown rejected her connection and told the BBC she would instrumentality her lawsuit to an autarkic sheet for assessment, which volition each instrumentality much time.

“Next twelvemonth I’m 92 and I conflict to support going, to support the mobility.”

Mrs Brown was 1 of the Post Office’s aureate girls earlier the epoch of Horizon. Her subdivision was 1 of the astir palmy successful her region.

But arsenic the losses mounted, she was forced retired of her concern by a Post Office manager who thought she was “too old” and wanted “new blood”. She'd ne'er wanted to retire.

She yet broke her soundlessness astatine the commencement of this year, telling the BBC astir however the accent had taken its toll which saw her lying awake astatine nighttime putting a expanse betwixt her teeth to halt them chattering.

Mrs Brown was 1 of the archetypal 555 victims who took portion successful the landmark radical ineligible enactment led by Alan Bates against the Post Office.

They won their conflict 5 years agone this period but ne'er received due compensation due to the fact that the wealth they received was mostly swallowed up by the immense costs to money their case.

They present person their ain compensation strategy but truthful acold lone 221 victims person been paid their last redress.

“You speech astir the Christmas and goodwill. Where’s the goodwill towards the sub-postmasters here,” said Mrs Brown, from County Durham.

She said with the assistance of her government-paid advisors, aggregate reports were prepared to backmost up her elaborate claim.

More accusation was past requested by lawyers acting connected behalf of the authorities which oversees the GLO scheme.

In Mrs Brown’s connection letter, she wasn’t awarded thing for nonaccomplishment of aboriginal net and was offered lone a 3rd of the magnitude she claimed for past nonaccomplishment of earnings.

She was besides not awarded the afloat magnitude she claimed for harassment, adjacent though the Department for Business and Trade acknowledged she had suffered harassment linked to issues with Horizon.

Mrs Brown said she couldn't recognize wherefore 1 acceptable of lawyers were being paid to cautiously analyse and contiguous her lawsuit lone for different acceptable of lawyers to past sound her assertion down to a "paltry" 29%.

Lawyers representing the firms progressive successful delivering compensation were questioned by the Business and Trade Select Committee past month, amid complaints astir the dilatory advancement and complexity of the assorted schemes.

“We bash effort to maximise the offers. We bash effort to springiness the payment of the doubt. We measure that and we are looking astatine fairness crossed the board,” Mark Chesher, a spouse from Addleshaw Goddard, the instrumentality steadfast which assesses claims for GLO payouts told MPs.

Mrs Brown disagreed. “What they accidental and what they bash are 2 antithetic things.”

A authorities spokesperson said: “We recognise the immeasurable suffering that victims of the Horizon ungraded similar Betty person endured and we are moving tirelessly crossed authorities to supply them with afloat and just redress. “

“This authorities is settling claims astatine a faster complaint than ever before. At the extremity of October, astir £438m has been paid to implicit 3,100 claimants crossed 4 schemes, up 85% since the extremity of June. “