Dozens of postmaster in the Post Office Horizon scandal have been offered “pathetic”compensation, it has been claimed, following the ITV hit show drawing attention to the ordeal

Sir Alan Bates appearing before the Business and Trade Committee hearing on the Horizon scandal,(Image: PA)

Postmasters caught up in the Post Office Horizon scandal have been offered “pathetic” levels of compensation, an accountant claims.

Dozens of postmasters have been offered compensation of a fraction of their claims, according to forensic accountant Kay Linnell, who is working on their cases.

The former chief investigating accountant at the Inland Revenue, now HM Revenue & Customs, argued that the compensation schemes seemed “designed to fail”.

She is aware of 30 subpostmasters who have received “pathetic” offers of between half of 1% and 15% of their claim.

One former sub-postmistress has reportedly been offered just 0.56% of what she thought she was entitled to.

Linnell, 70, has been fighting alongside Sir Alan Bates for 12 years to secure justice for hundreds of subpostmasters.

They were wrongly sacked and prosecuted due to financial shortfalls in their branch accounts.

But the shortfalls were found to be the fault of the Horizon IT system.

The scandal caused public outrage after it was dramatised in the ITV series Mr Bates vs the Post Office.

Linnell said she had been contacted by 45 to 50 claimants whose offers appeared to be “substantially undervalued”.

She said: “They are finding every legal loophole they can think of, under civil litigation rules, not to pay.

“It’s designed to fail. What they are trying to do is to keep a handle on cash flow.”

Sir Alan also revealed he had been presented with a “take it or leave it” offer amounting to less than half his original claim.

The Department for Business and Trade said: “We recognise the suffering that sub-postmasters have endured which is why this government developed our compensation arrangement.

“Victims who are unhappy with their offer have access to legal support and an independent panel to review their claim.”

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By staronline@reachplc.com (Will Stone, Will Stone)

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