PRINCESS Kate’s postmaster has hailed Rishi Sunak’s decision to overturn every Post Office conviction – but demanded: “Now it’s time for the bosses to face questions.”
Emergency legislation to exonerate hundreds convicted in England and Wales will be introduced within weeks – opening the door to six figure compensation for those wronged.
More than 700 Post Office branch managers who were wrongly convicted in the Horizon IT scandal could have their names cleared by the end of the year.
But MPs are now demanding corporate manslaughter charges be brought against Post Office bosses after four accused workers took their own lives after being falsely charged.
Unveiling the landmark decision, the PM told the Commons it was time to end “one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in our nation’s history.”
He added: “People who worked hard to serve their communities had their lives and their reputations destroyed through absolutely no fault of their own. The victims must get justice and compensation.”
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The move came in the wake of ITV’s hit drama Mr Bates vs the Post Office that aired over New Year – sparking a political crisis in Westminster after years of campaigning by postmasters to clear their names
Today the real life Mr Bates welcomed the “good news” but said the fight is not over for many of those still awaiting compensation.
“It is a leap forward, but it ain’t over yet,” he told BBC.
He added: “The devil is in the detail and we’re yet to see that. We’re still going to have to keep pushing the whole issue forward until everyone is sorted.”
And Hasmukh Shingadia, 63, who was Princess Kate’s local postmaster declared: “It is wonderful news. Postmasters have been waiting long enough for this moment. It will be a huge relief.”
“This decision means they can close the door on that chapter of their lives and walk around with their head held high.
“It took me ten years to have my conviction overturned, but some have been waiting far longer.
“Now it’s about waiting for the compensation deals to come through.
“Hopefully this decision will hurry things along as the Post Office has been dragging their feet.”
Hasmukh runs the Spar village shop in Upper Bucklebury, Berks – which was frequented by Princess Kate and Prince William.
He was convicted of false accounting in 2011 after his shop system showed a £16,000 discrepancy.
But the Princess, 42, and parents Carole and Michael stood by him by continuing to use his shop and inviting him to the 2011 royal wedding.
In 2021 he won a 10-year-battle to clear his name and overturn the conviction – celebrating with a tea party attended by the Princess’ parents.
The grandfather also joined a growing chorus of victims in calling for embattled Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey to surrender his knighthood.
He blasted Davey, 58, for not trying “hard enough to find the truth” while post minister when hundreds were jailed using evidence from Fujitsu’s dodgy Horizon software.
We told yesterday how the beloved postie – known as Hash to pals – made a direct plea to Mr Sunak to overturn the conviction of every falsely accused postmaster.
Yesterday he said ex-Post Office chief Paula Vennells and then-postal affairs minister Mr Davey should face further questioning under oath from the Horizon public inquiry.
Davey – who served in the coalition government from 2010 to 2012 – has insisted he was misled by the Post Office in a “conspiracy of lies”.
But Hasmukn insisted: “There needs to be serious questions asked of everyone who was involved – including Ed Davey.
“We need to know what things were hidden from us and the public, and why.
“Even when (Conservative Lord) James Arbuthnot brought Jo Hamilton’s case to Parliament, which was shown in the drama, nobody did enough searching for actual answers.
“Ed Davey and other ministers did not push hard enough to find out the truth, which campaigners have been waiting for years to hear.
“He has a lot of questions to answer first, but then he should hand back his knighthood.”
