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Sir Alan Bates has reportedly received a seven-figure sum in settlement for his Horizon compensation claim. The former subpostmaster had previously criticised the redress schemes for victims of the Post Office scandal, describing them as "quasi-kangaroo courts". Approximately 1,000 individuals across the UK were wrongfully prosecuted and convicted between 1999 and 2015 due to the Horizon system with many considering self-harm. The fight for justice gained significant momentum following the ITV drama Mr Bates Vs The Post Office, which brought the scandal to light. For the biggest stories in Wales first, sign up to our daily newsletter In an interview with the Sunday Times, Sir Alan accused the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) of altering the rules arbitrarily during the claims process. Sky News suggested that Sir Alan's final settlement could be worth between £4m and £5m. In a statement confirming the settlement of his claim, the DBT 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 been settled." As of September 2025, a total of £1.23bn had been awarded to more than 9,100 subpostmasters. Sir Alan first received an offer of redress in January 2024, which he rejected, describing it as "cruel and derisory". He was made another offer in May 2024 which he said was around a third of what he had requested. In May of this year he said that he'd received a third offer for less than 50% of his original claim. Individual eligibility for compensation depends on the particular circumstances of each case. But the schemes have been criticised for being too slow and complicated, with many of the worst-affected victims receiving far less than their original claims. A separate campaign being led by campaign group Lost Chances is also calling for the children of ex-subpostmasters and ex-subpostmistresses to be fully compensated. Earlier this year we spoke to relatives of victims of the scandal, including Katie Watson who told us her family had lost so much when they lost their Post Office that they ended up living in a caravan.
