{"id":43175,"date":"2024-01-06T12:24:38","date_gmt":"2024-01-06T11:24:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1955443"},"modified":"2024-01-06T18:46:16","modified_gmt":"2024-01-06T17:46:16","slug":"met-police-looking-into-post-office-scandal-following-itv-drama-mr-bates","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/met-police-looking-into-post-office-scandal-following-itv-drama-mr-bates\/","title":{"rendered":"Met police looking into Post Office scandal following ITV drama Mr Bates"},"content":{"rendered":"

The four-part series starring Toby Jones and Monica Dolan aired this week. <\/p>

By Patrick Cremona\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Saturday, 06 January 2024 at 11:24 AM<\/p>

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The Metropolitan Police has confirmed that it is carrying out an investigation into \u201cpotential fraud offences\u201d committed in the Horizon IT scandal. The news comes after the release of ITV drama Mr Bates vs the Post Office<\/a>, which aired across four nights this week.<\/p>\n

The series, which stars a wealth of British talent including Toby Jones and Monica Dolan, explores the staggering true story<\/a> of one of the biggest miscarriages of justice in British legal history, which saw hundreds of subpostmasters wrongly accused of theft, fraud and false accounting<\/a> due to a defective IT system.<\/p>\n

The series prompted a further 50 potential victims to seek legal advice regarding the scandal, with the BBC<\/a> reporting that several former subpostmasters have made enquiries, according to lawyer Neil Hudgell.<\/p>

As originally reported by The Times<\/a>, the Met released a statement in which it said it was \u201cinvestigating potential fraud offences arising out of these prosecutions\u201d including \u201cmonies recovered from subpostmasters as a result of prosecutions or civil actions\u201d.<\/p>\n

The statement continued: \u201cThe Met is investigating potential offences of perjury and perverting the course of justice. These potential offences arise out of investigations and prosecutions carried out by the Post Office.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe investigation was launched in January 2020 following a referral from the DPP [Director of Public Prosecutions]. Two people have been interviewed under caution. Nobody has been arrested.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Monica\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Monica Dolan as Jo in Mr Bates vs the Post Office<\/span><\/figcaption> ITV Studios<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Speaking about the 50 new enquiries, Hudgell said that the \u201cmajority were not prosecuted but lost their livelihoods, lost their homes\u201d.<\/p>\n

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He added: \u201cThere\u2019s a small handful of people who were convicted that have come forward, three in total at the moment, which is obviously a tiny number proportionate to those that are still out there.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2020<\/a><\/span>, Tim Parker, then-chairman of the Post Office, said he was \u201csincerely sorry\u201d on behalf of the company for its \u201chistorical failings\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPost Office is resetting its relationship with postmasters with reforms that prevent such past events ever happening again,\u201d he added.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Post Office also previously encouraged \u201cp<\/span>eople who believe they were wrongly convicted, for any reason, to consider an appeal\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more:<\/strong><\/p>\n