Ex-Postmistress Accuses Post Office and Fujitsu for Wrongful Conviction

Gail Ward, a former sub-postmistress from Wells, falsely accused of theft, attributes her plight to the Post Office and Fujitsu, not their computer system.

After being wrongly convicted of stealing £12,000 due to errors in the Horizon computer system, Ward faced court, conviction, and community service. Despite repaying the amount from her savings, her conviction stood.

Ward criticized the system, insisting that decisions by individuals, not computers, wreaked havoc on her life. Recalling the investigation's start, she recounted feeling instantly criminalized. A 2021 inquiry into the Horizon scandal heard defenses from a former investigator against allegations of harsh tactics.

Still awaiting her conviction to be overturned, Ward expressed her inability to forgive the Post Office, even with compensation. The trauma extended to her family, with her son unaware of her potential imprisonment on the court hearing day.