Landmark study into Post Office scandal seeks to prevent future injustice

post office sign - A new landmark study into legal failings associated with the Post Office scandal, led by UCL and the University of Exeter, is being launched to support improvements in culture and ethical practice to prevent similar injustice occurring in the future. The scandal, currently subject to a statutory judicial inquiry, has blighted scores of lives. Computer error, corporate incompetence, and potentially problematic lawyering led to hundreds of sub-postmasters and mistresses being falsely accused and sometimes convicted of criminal offences. Many more were thrown out of their businesses, left in debt and had their livelihoods destroyed. To date, over 80 defendants have had their wrongful convictions quashed on appeal. Lawyers were at the heart of this disaster as it unfolded over 20 years. A team based at UCL and the University of Exeter are working to uncover more about the scandal, and the role of lawyers in it.