Dozens of people wrongly convicted in the Post Office Horizon scandal in Scotland have now had their criminal records cleared after years of being blamed for offences they did not commit.
A new report placed before the Scottish Parliament outlines how the Post Office Horizon System Offences Scotland Act 2024 has been implemented since it came into force in June 2024.
The legislation was introduced to overturn convictions linked to the faulty Horizon computer system which wrongly accused many sub postmasters of financial wrongdoing.
The scandal saw people across the United Kingdom prosecuted or forced to repay money after accounting shortfalls were incorrectly reported by the system.
Many victims lost their livelihoods, reputations and in some cases their freedom after being treated as criminals based on flawed digital evidence.
According to the report, 100 Scottish cases linked to the Horizon system were reviewed.
A total of 65 people have now had their records cleared of Post Office related offences.
That includes 64 convictions that have been formally quashed along with one alternative to prosecution that has been removed.
Thirty five convictions were assessed but were not quashed under the terms of the legislation.
Officials have been able to trace 62 of the 65 people whose records were cleared.
Work is continuing to find the remaining three individuals so they can be informed of the decision.
Justice Secretary Angela Constance said the Horizon scandal had caused lasting damage to those wrongly accused.
“The Horizon scandal caused enormous harm to individuals and families across the UK.
“Innocent people had their lives turned upside down as a result of miscarriages of justice built on flawed evidence from a deeply flawed computer system.
“It was right that we acted swiftly to introduce legislation to quash those convictions for victims in Scotland.”
Constance said the report sets out how justice agencies worked together to identify and review the affected cases.
“This report details that 100 cases were assessed resulting in 65 individuals having their criminal records cleared of Post Office related offending.
“Sixty four convictions were quashed and one alternative to prosecution was deleted.
“Sixty two of the sixty five individuals have been successfully traced with efforts continuing to locate the remaining three.”
Compensation for those affected by the scandal is being handled through redress schemes run by the United Kingdom Government.
According to the Scottish Government, 52 people in Scotland whose convictions were cleared have so far accessed compensation.
Constance said the work carried out so far marks the completion of the main phase of reviewing convictions linked to the Horizon system in Scotland.
“This marks the end of the core phase of the Post Office conviction project.
“However if any individual believes they or someone they know has a relevant conviction we remain committed to considering any new requests under the Act.”
The Horizon scandal is widely regarded as one of the most serious miscarriages of justice in modern British legal history.
