November 2015
November 2015
JFSA prepares for Group Litigation against Post Office
Post Office’s corporate blindness, and denial of what we know to be the truth about how it has abused Subpostmasters over the years with its Horizon system, has now left JFSA and its membership no other option but to seek redress though the courts.
JFSA prepares for Group Litigation against Post Office
Post Office’s corporate blindness, and denial of what we know to be the truth about how it has abused Subpostmasters over the years with its Horizon system, has now left JFSA and its membership no other option but to seek redress though the courts.
To that end, JFSA has been working for the last few months with a legal team comprising of FREETHS Solicitors and HENDERSON Barristers Chambers to prepare a civil litigation action through the High Court for compensation/damages against Post Office Limited.
A significant number of people have now signed up with the legal team, who have already undertaken considerable work on our case, and have a very positive view on the prospects of success. So if you were a Subpostmaster at any time from 2000 when the Post Office brought in Horizon and you suffered inexplicable or mysterious losses, or had your contract suspended or terminated for no fault of your own, you should consider contacting FREETHS.
Even if you have previously made an agreement with Post Office about your case, we are led to believe it may well be worthwhile discussing your position with FREETHS.
For further information about how to join the group action against Post Office Limited and to obtain an application form, please contact James Hartley at FREETHS on 0845 077 9581 or send an email to james.hartley@freeths.co.uk
Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC)
As we have previously publicised on the website, the CCRC are looking into over 20 cases where Subpostmasters have been prosecuted by Post Office Limited. Recently we have become aware of more cases that are to be sent to the CCRC and if you were ever prosecuted by Post Office Limited, with relation to inexplicable or mysterious losses associated with Horizon, we would suggest you submit an application to the CCRC to have your case reviewed.
You can find a very basic application form, which is really only a way to introduce yourself to the CCRC, on their website, http://www.ccrc.gov.uk/making-application/ or you can download it from our Documents page. Just fill in the basic details at this time and the CCRC will appoint a case manager who will contact you for further information.
IMPORTANT - when you send the form in, make sure you write Subpostmaster Case at the top of the form to ensure it goes to the correct team.
In response to recent requests, we have reprinted below the information about how to find out what records Post Office holds about you, which was first published in association with the doomed Initial Complaint Review and Mediation Scheme. The address and phone number has been updated to reflect the move from Old Street.
Data Protection Act – Subject Access Request
You may recall that prior to all the investigations it was suggested that everyone should submit a Subject Access Request to Post Office to obtain copies of what information they held about you. If you never got around to doing this we would suggest you do so now, also even if you had in the past submitted a request, you might consider submitting another one.
Post Office is meant to have investigated your case, you may even have had their report and ‘evidence’, but how do you know that the ‘evidence’ they decided to provide is all that they unearthed? Was Post Office selective with the documents it provided as ‘evidence’? Do you trust that Post Office would include all the documents that it holds on you?
If not, then submitting a Subject Access Request under the Data Protection Act would ensure that Post Office has to state exactly what it holds on you at this time, in case in the future it is found that Post Office withheld information that would have been beneficial to you.
How to submit a Subject Access Request
The following information about how to apply is from the Post Office website:-
You can request details of all the personal information we hold about you by contacting our Information Rights Team. They will send you an application form which you should complete and return. The charge for this service is £10 for each request. You can contact the team by writing to: Information Rights Team, 1st Floor, Finsbury Dials, 20 Finsbury Street, London EC2Y 9AQ.
Email: foia@postoffice.co.uk
Telephone: 0345 611 2970
A significant number of people have now signed up with the legal team, who have already undertaken considerable work on our case, and have a very positive view on the prospects of success. So if you were a Subpostmaster at any time from 2000 when the Post Office brought in Horizon and you suffered inexplicable or mysterious losses, or had your contract suspended or terminated for no fault of your own, you should consider contacting FREETHS.
Even if you have previously made an agreement with Post Office about your case, we are led to believe it may well be worthwhile discussing your position with FREETHS.
For further information about how to join the group action against Post Office Limited and to obtain an application form, please contact James Hartley at FREETHS on 0845 077 9581 or send an email to james.hartley@freeths.co.uk
Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC)
As we have previously publicised on the website, the CCRC are looking into over 20 cases where Subpostmasters have been prosecuted by Post Office Limited. Recently we have become aware of more cases that are to be sent to the CCRC and if you were ever prosecuted by Post Office Limited, with relation to inexplicable or mysterious losses associated with Horizon, we would suggest you submit an application to the CCRC to have your case reviewed.
You can find a very basic application form, which is really only a way to introduce yourself to the CCRC, on their website, http://www.ccrc.gov.uk/making-application/ or you can download it from our Documents page. Just fill in the basic details at this time and the CCRC will appoint a case manager who will contact you for further information.
IMPORTANT - when you send the form in, make sure you write Subpostmaster Case at the top of the form to ensure it goes to the correct team.
In response to recent requests, we have reprinted below the information about how to find out what records Post Office holds about you, which was first published in association with the doomed Initial Complaint Review and Mediation Scheme. The address and phone number has been updated to reflect the move from Old Street.
Data Protection Act – Subject Access Request
You may recall that prior to all the investigations it was suggested that everyone should submit a Subject Access Request to Post Office to obtain copies of what information they held about you. If you never got around to doing this we would suggest you do so now, also even if you had in the past submitted a request, you might consider submitting another one.
Post Office is meant to have investigated your case, you may even have had their report and ‘evidence’, but how do you know that the ‘evidence’ they decided to provide is all that they unearthed? Was Post Office selective with the documents it provided as ‘evidence’? Do you trust that Post Office would include all the documents that it holds on you?
If not, then submitting a Subject Access Request under the Data Protection Act would ensure that Post Office has to state exactly what it holds on you at this time, in case in the future it is found that Post Office withheld information that would have been beneficial to you.
How to submit a Subject Access Request
The following information about how to apply is from the Post Office website:-
You can request details of all the personal information we hold about you by contacting our Information Rights Team. They will send you an application form which you should complete and return. The charge for this service is £10 for each request. You can contact the team by writing to: Information Rights Team, 1st Floor, Finsbury Dials, 20 Finsbury Street, London EC2Y 9AQ.
Email: foia@postoffice.co.uk
Telephone: 0345 611 2970