Copyright dailystar
Post Office hero Sir Alan Bates has finally received a multi-million pound compensation payout. It has taken 20 years for the wronged sub-postmaster, who led the fight for justice for victims of the Horizon IT scandal, to get the cash. The exact figure has not been released but it is believed to be around £5million. Sir Alan has not responded for comment. He helped a group of 555 sub-postmasters launch landmark legal action against the Post Office. The justice warrior previously slammed the "horrendous" way the government treated its victims. The lives of many wrongly accused and convicted subpostmasters were ruined by the scandal, with some jailed, becoming suicide victims or having breakdowns. The shocking saga was brought to life in ITV’s hit Mr Bates Vs The Post Office which later won a gong at the Baftas. More than 900 subpostmasters were wrongly prosecuted between 1999 and 2015 after faulty Horizon accounting software made it look as though cash had gone missing. It is understood Mr Bates finally agreed to his cash proposal after the government effectively told him: “Take it or leave it”. Ministers have doled out more than £1bn in compensation to more than 9,100 sub-postmasters. Sir Alan first received an offer in January 2024, which he rejected, branding it "cruel”. He later lashed out at the “quasi-kangaroo courts" involved in the compensation claims. The pensioner added: "The Department for Business and Trade sits in judgement of the claims and alters the goal posts as and when it chooses." Sir Alan was also scathing of Sir Keir Starmer’s handling of the process, saying: "People have been to prison and they are being offered less than half of 1% of their claim. It's a big problem and someone needs to sort it out.” A government spokesperson said: "We pay tribute to Sir Alan Bates for his long record of campaigning on behalf of victims and have now paid out over £1.2bn to more than 9,000 victims. We can confirm that Sir Alan's claim has reached the end of the scheme process and has been settled."
