'Scandal within a scandal': Anger over delay to govt review of its Post Office convictions

The widow of a sub-postmaster says she is "extremely" frustrated as a review into the handling of prosecutions of Post Office staff is yet to begin nearly a year after being announced.

Almost 12 months since the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) first announced a review into its handling of prosecutions against Post Office staff, no review has begun and no reviewer has been appointed.

The DWP was involved in bringing prosecutions against roughly 100 Post Office staff from 2001 to 2006, when data from a faulty computer programme, Horizon, was being used to wrongfully jail postmasters for theft and false accounting.

These convictions remain in place and have not been overturned.

A review of prosecutions was announced in August 2025, and a job advert for a reviewer was posted in March, with applications listed as closing in April.

As no reviewer has been appointed, no review has begun.

The department attributed the near 12-month wait to the need for the new prime minister, Andy Burnham, to consider the independent reviewer before appointing them.

It said the final appointment decision would be made when the new administration begins.

Two changes were made to the department's ministerial team after Mr Burnham took office.

'Something to hide'

But Keren Simpson, who vows to posthumously clear her DWP-prosecuted father's name, said the delay shows the DWP has "something to hide".

"The Department for Work and Pensions knows they're guilty, and they don't want to be implicated in anything to do with the Horizon system or the Post Office," she said.

The delay has been described as "a scandal within a scandal" by Neil Hudgell, a solicitor whose firm represents 19 DWP-convicted clients.

"At the heart of all this are a number of badly affected Post Office victims for whom the pain and suffering endures. And who fear they have been left behind and forgotten."

Convictions still to be overturned

While up to 900 sub-postmasters prosecuted by the Post Office had their convictions overturned en masse by parliament, DWP convictions and prosecutions using data from Horizon's predecessor, Capture, are yet to be quashed.

The lack of action on these convictions was heavily criticised last month by independent government advisers, the Horizon Compensation Advisory Board (HCAB), tasked with overseeing redress related to the software.

The process of overturning all remaining Post Office convictions is taking too long, the group of academics and peers said.

It has asked for all outstanding convictions to be overturned by legislation or an expedited system to properly investigate and void cases.

Review criticism

As well as criticism of the delay, the content of the review has been deemed insufficient by some.

With a focus solely on a review of information and assessing the "steps taken" by the DWP when prosecuting Post Office staff in the Horizon period, the review would never have overturned the convictions.

These terms have been described as "far too restricted" by the HCAB, which said a test of whether Horizon was used at the time should be used, rather than whether Horizon was essential to the prosecution.

The DWP maintains its investigations were complex and that it relied on direct evidence like surveillance and stolen benefit books from Post Offices as well as handwriting analysis and witness statements from claimants in the prosecutions.

But only a "full review of all cases on their own merits" will do, Mr Hudgell said.

Why did the DWP prosecute Post Office staff?

As the body administering welfare and pensions payments, the DWP was involved in benefits theft cases.

Most cases involved cashing in stolen benefits books.

'It's always there at the back of my mind'

It's not just those subject to prosecutions that are affected but their families too, some of whom are fighting to have their loved one's name cleared.

That's the case for Keren Simpson and her mum Julie Allen.

In the Post Office run by her husband, Roger Allen, Mrs Allen looked after the cards and stationery, helping him out with the tidying and sometimes counting money.

It was on a Saturday morning when she was there with him in 2002 that she says she was taken into police custody and questioned.

As the two were involved in managing the Post Office, the prosecution thought "you were in it together", Mrs Allen says.

"We were guilty before we ever got anywhere," Mrs Allen said, speaking to media for the first time about her experience.

"They were just determined [he was guilty]; you're the postmaster, it's your responsibility" was the mentality, Mrs Allen said.

A suggestion was made to Mr Allen: own up and charges against Mrs Allen would be dropped.

He took it, pleaded guilty and, in 2004, was sentenced to six months in prison for theft, despite his doctor recommending against jail time after he had an aneurysm in 2000, Mrs Simpson said.

'The truth will come out'

More than two decades later, and after Mr Allen died in March 2024, his widow just wants his name cleared.

"I want it to be ended," she said. "Because it's always there in the back of my mind."

It's a battle worth fighting, Mrs Simpson believes.

"I do believe that the truth will come out," she said.

"It's just extremely frustrating how long it's taking and the amount of effort we have to push for [the government] to do the right thing."

Despite the Criminal Cases Review Commission deciding Mr Allen had grounds to appeal against his conviction, it was upheld by the Court of Appeal in 2021.

The DWP said, "We remain committed to an independent review of these prosecutions, and we'll update on the appointment of a reviewer in due course."

(c) Sky News 2026: 'Scandal within a scandal': Anger over delay to govt review of its Post Office convictions