How the Post Office scandal tore one North London's dad's life apart
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- Опубліковано 11 січ 2024
- Former Post Office manager Kamran Ashraf, 46, and his former sub-postmistress wife Siema Kamran, 48, bought the Hampstead Heath Post Office between 2001 and 2003.
They felt forced to plead guilty to theft when £25,000 went missing from their Post Office, despite being innocent, and he was sentenced to nine months in jail in 2004.
The father-of-three spent 10 weeks behind bars and eventually had his conviction overturned in 2020, receiving more than £200,000 in compensation so far.
He now works for the Department for Work and Pensions and has been diagnosed with severe PTSD. The couple are still yet to receive full compensation for the mental toll, his time in prison and other losses.
Read his account here: www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/...
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Imagine your own solicitor telling you to plead guilty to a crime you never committed! Send her to jail too!
Or ban her from being a solicitor
Wounder why the heck the solicitor would do that. Poor guy
This is really common. My cousin was in a similar situation. She was on legal aid and at the time I wondered if the solicitor didn’t want to put in the hours
That's normal. She knew he would be found guilty. If pleaded not guilty he would have got longer. She did it for his benefit
The whole of the Post Office Board including Fujitsu MUST pay all the damages to the sub postmasters. These thieves have go to jail.
I read that Fujitsu warned the then Royal Mail that more than one terminal together would not work properly.
And the bankers and politicians get a free pass, makes my blood boil! Poor bloke!
And the court system/judges. Did the evidence stack up for this sort of sentence? How are those judges feeling now? Passing the buck and playing the blame game.
£75,000 is an absolutely pitiful amount for the damage caused... shameful, an utter disgrace! Not good enough...
That's 9 months of his life gone, to be given that little for something priceless like time is truly outrageous.
state committing crimes have zero accountability
She got £5000000 for hard work ?
Engry grou!!!
£5mill that you know about....the rest are hidden from public...shares and stocks, off shores. It's just a show for these people@@marekdentysta6260
That is nothing for the trauma the poor guy went through. He should sue the solicitor
*KAMRAN* - nothing can make this right but I hope it helps to know that in Oz, on the other side of the world, a 60 something woman you'll never meet, is shedding tears for you. I send so many best wishes and prayers that the rest of your life will be blessed and fruitful. Sending hugs from Sydney.
Yes, I slso was touched by this kind, decent and trustworthy father. G Ire
Such a beautiful human being god bless you
This is so sweet, you’re an amazing person!
The judge who this gentleman faced needs bringing to book.
you forgot, Uk is a criminal state, criminal govt, hence nothing make sense anymore.
It is disgusting as to how folk have been treated so badly and nobody wouldn't listen to them
It's a salutary lesson to us all, the fact that we accept "Computer knows best", "Computer can't fail". As they always used to say, " The computer is only as good as the person (programmer) behind it". G Ire
Those responsible at Fujitsu and Post Office HQ need to be made accountable and prosecuted accordingly.
Their accounting systems needs to be accountable as well. Absolutely garbage system it must be
They r never held accountable. Same same
Yes them and their company lawyers.
This is absolutely heart breaking. Poor man must have been terrified. And he isn't the only one! Its outrageous. I so hope ALL the guilty parties go to jail for a very long time
Heartbreaking, the people responsible need to be named and shamed. How they let this happen when they knew there was so many people being accused. Disgusting.
Its absolutely disgusting what happened to these people, i hope they all get full justice and proper compensation,
justice is only for those with power and money
I feel so sorry for these people. This is the rich getting richer through systematic fraud and blaming poor people.
I hope they gave this man millions in compensation. PO execs should be made to stand in court like he did.
There were lots of people in the same boat. Some are still fighting
This was really difficult to watch. I can't imagine the effect it's had on this man's life. May all the victims of this scandal get swift justice.
Swift justics in this country, only works for robotics system, car tickets, tax all in place not the real human justice here even in all the Europe. Someone is controlling all the system and creating scams and normal people are victims of it.
I have a heartfelt sympathy for this gentleman. He did his best and made a hard decision for his family and he should never blame himself for that decision. I hope he can recover from this dreadful experience. Such dignity in this undeserved catastrophe. I know his family will have supported him and I hope he has built a better life now.
How could the Post Office not see that people were putting their own money in to cover the losses? And to have so many sub postmasters making the same mistakes with their accounts. Giving these people money is not going to get their lives back. The people at the top of the organisation need to be jailed, they are the real criminals.
They could see, they covered it up otherwise this would’ve affected their bonuses. It’s deliberate fraud not wilful ignorance.
that my dear is the true power of corporate state criminal, one and the same.
And it's only going to get worse .. people fighting corporations .. 😢 sorry for all who dealt with this travesty
Because Criminal Company Lawyers and bosses are running the show. It is time they were held to account for these travesties of justice. They are no better than the Mafia.
What a lovely, kind and trustworthy man with a lovely, supportive wife. All the sub-postmasters I've heard are such "salt of the earth" people. The British 'system' needs to pull out BIG money in restoration and compensation QUICKLY. I dont think I would accept an upfront smaller payment "for starters" cos I could see the bigger payments being majorly held up. There was NO holdup in the 'retribution' extracted at the front end so.... cough up now. G Ire
The post office are evil 😈
No, Post Office MANAGEMENT are evil.
Never ever plead guilty if you haven't done anything wrong.
So go to prison for something you haven't done
It’s easier said when you are not in their shoes. If someone said life in prison, or death penalty (blackmail system) or admit to something you did not do and get lighter sentence… it’s very hard to decide when you have listened to hope.
You know nothing
The evil people like Paula Vennells and Stephen Bradshaw need to be jailed!
All to protect the brand it didn't work
Terrible. You can see he will never get over this.
Compensation should be over a million. Time lost. Money lost. Stress. Job losses who knows. Rising house prices means this compensation is useless
Disgusting, poor man , I hope he gets justice
So so sorry this happened to you and your family .. what a miscarriage of justice 😢
This is a good man- I’m disgusted - don’t wanna see post office on my streets any more
This is just heartbreaking 💔💔💔
What a brave man.
We used to own one in derby, when we would count up at the end of the month we used to be always down between 4/800 pounds. My bro would take money out of the bank and square it up normally a couple of day into the new month. One month he got lazy and it was the 8th and we got an audit. Said we were theiving and kicked us out. Lost the whole free hold building everything. Now we are taking action against post office system
How could the post office have wrongfully accused innocent people of theft and imprisoned taken their liberty and shattered so many lives.....how can they compensate for wicked actions of organisation led by a supposed Christian and priest . She is definitely not a woman of God or faith to knowingly presided over such abuse and injustice.
Wait a min. What’s Christian’s gotta do with this?
@@Samuels691Paula venereal was ordained
I admire the way you thought about your family and bravely moved on even though a part of you would never be the same again. I’m so glad you got closure. When the govt privatised a different workplace, greedy executives did something similar to myself and hundreds of colleagues. And again they were trained by lawyer consultants on the whole ‘it’s only you. It’s confidential you can’t talk about it bull’. We will never see closure so to see the same type of ruthless people being questioned by the select committee is giving me vicarious pleasure. Wishing your family good health and fortune.
I felt so sorry for this innocent gentleman who was treated as a criminal at the time. So Glad truth came out & justice is going to be serve.
This is what working hard gets you with these soulless creatures. Surely horizon should be prosecuted and fined very heavily ( millions) and the money going to the people wrongly accused and persecuted.
Fiujitsu
I am so sorry my friend the Post Office put you and several subpost masters through this awful ordeal. You did nothing wrong. Just hold on my friend as the chickens are coming home to roost. Heads are going to roll once the public enquiry has been completed. Just take care of yourself and I am praying for you and your family 🙏
My heart goes out to this decent man and his wife. Their story and the stories of the other wronged victims of this dreadful scandal need to see justice served and their persecutors and prosecutors punished to the full extent of the law, including the stripping of any 'honours' bestowed upon them and also to lose their 'ill-gotten gains'.
So sorry you went through this
I am so sorry you have been treated this way by a criminal organisation ,the members of Parliament & the Law that you should have been able to turn to for help were self serving & arrogant ,the Post office is at the heart of our communities & it has been abused by various Governments ,sold off cheaply Managers abused its a wonder it has survived, and I hope you are recovering & are able to enjoy life again
I can only imagine how this man is feeling. Same with Seema Misra her interview really upset me too based on this same scandal while pregnant dragged to prison. All the victims of the post office.... I am so sorry you had to experience this when you are all hard working honest people
My heart breaks for this man and all the people that went through this. I wish I could do more than send them my love. Imagine being made to feel like a thief and incompetent as well as feeling like you’re losing your mind.
Every single sub postmaster just wanted a better life for themselves and to serve their communities and instead had their lives destroyed.
No amount of money can compensate for a custodial sentence.
We must as a society stand up for injustice when we see it because this can’t happen ever again 😢
Beautiful souls betrayed
Absolutely bewildering !! These poor people were treated in an abominable way, for years. Ostracised by friends and neighbours and even taking their own lives.
i don't understand how, or why, a forensic analysis was not performed globally given there were so many victims; 100's of them, and counting. The errors cannot all be accounting deficits attributable to human causes. Statistically that would have to be a very low; if not zero given all involved.
The investigator yesterday clearly demonstrated extreme bias by signing a statement, he claims, prepared by a superior. You sign it you own it. That is clear fraud given people were sentenced to life altering situations; friends, neighbours all presumably believing the PO.
The investigators are the most culpable for conducting a partisan investigation; they should be publicly named and shamed; though I would not wish anything ill of their innocent families either.
Those people with most culpability should be made to visit the memorials of those lives' lost and have 'face to face' apologies to all personally.
The PO's lawyers should also be viewed as performing malpractice.
Alhamdulillah for a little bit of justice.
I am so so sorry for what you had to go through.
Nobody deserves this. Imagine having a criminal record (related to fraud/theft), which company would ever employ you?
This man and his family and all the other other victims, had their lives fully stopped. Even after 9 months of wrongful imprisonment, your life never goes back to be the same. The stigma and DBS will leave you hopeless…
You did an amazing thing for your family. As a man, it’s a hard decision to take but may Allah reward you.
Not sure why they have no accountability for such gross misconduct… even the lawyer is awful and should never have her license to practise law again..
I have been watching the Post Office Inquiry. I think that Mr. Beer is finally....finally...finally the advocate that you all need and deserve. My heart goes out to you all and your families.
Guilty until proven innocent. That's the UK system through and through.
Em... I have to say that I said to my husband that down through the centuries we got more than a flavour of all that in everyday life in Ireland (without the computers, of course). We also see that harshness of officialdom as something that 'comes easily' to UK. G Ire
Also the prosecution/ defence and judge all work for the last society which is ghetto government and the government tries to prosecute you……..its a corrupt system
All concerned including the judge should go to prision, how dare they, disgusting predators.
This man should get millions.
Pure government cover
Up it shows how corrupt the system
Is
What a scandal and huge injustice!
So sorry and scared to hear this happening here. A country supposed to be free of corruption able to prevent honest citizens having to live in fear. But here we are. Only the powerful the corrupt and the greedy and their families and friends are thriving. Hope you get compensated and sooon. But that too will no doubt be a circus. Some committee or the other will manage to grab the money for themselves….. I really hope not!
Terrible 😢
god bless you sir
Government or any other authority NEVER takes responsibility EVER it’s absolutely ridiculous
This country is a real bad cray cray place you can’t trust even your own solicitor.
Blessings good luck and healing from this miscarriage of justice for Kamran and all others affected by it also
Brother so sorry to learn about your story….may Allah swt help you and your family get over this awful ordeal
Shame on the post office and this awful scandal!l this man deserves a full on apology and compensation for the injustice they have put him and his family through
Justice for all those who suffered from Post Office and Fijitsu fraudulent practices.
I'm just staggered this happened to you, and so many others, your shame and distress are palpable.. I wish you peace in your future.
The post office needs to be sued and this man needs to be compensated for damages…
This has ruined alot of hard working peoples lives, what a disgusting consequence to so many people, rule of thumb is to never plead guilty, make them prove it, this is a classic example of how the legal system is failing people (solicitors are also responsible for coercing people to take deals)
Kamran my brother we love you, hopefully you have some retribution and the sentence fully scrubbed with full damages paid to your family
Shocking - genuinely - to see Old Bailey here. The Scales of Justice no longer to be trusted.
Massive respect to this man..
The lawyer needs baring. Wrong advice with no evidence 😡
It must have been terrifying to own and start a business is stressful enough but to have this happen, is unimaginable. How the staff must have felt too, almost accused inadvertently of being thieves, it’s only natural to think that. So many people wronged, I honestly don’t think the Post Office, Government, Fujitsu could ever really do enough to overcome the trauma these poor people went through. Finally they get a voice - much much too late! That in itself is the scandal, no one did the right thing at the time when they had a chance. I’m so so sorry this happened to these sub postmasters and postmistresses. How traumatic, they need access to trauma and therapy because this is so wrong.
Shocking!!
I am so sorry for what suffering and pain you and your beloveds have gone through. I can not imagine🙏🙏
A complete miscarriage of justice. I hope those responsible will face severe consequences for the lives ruined by this scandal.
They all should be sued and sent to jail 9 months each
Defund ed davey
Outrageous the pain and suffering caused, what a hopeless situation they went through. The Government and Fujitsu need to compensate them generously
Lawyers help criminals to cover up,
He was a skatgoat
He got a criminal record for not committing the crimes!!
There was no evidence he’s guilty/ a thief but law enforcement agencies search ❤❤❤❤
Even a million £s isn't worth enough compensation
What a gentleman so well put together article polite to a fault and been put through this terrible ordeal
Apparently "Sir" Tony B lair was informed that there were issues with Fujitsu system but didn't want to upset Tokyo Japan 🇯🇵
absolutely horrific from the post office, they said to each individual who they prosecuted , ' you were the only one ' no other issues with computer systems, unbelievable
I am so sorry for all that you suffered. I hope your life only sees joy, contentment and lots of healing ❤
I pray to god that these dreadful people, who caused all this trauma, are seriously held to account! This is pure evil!
This is really heartbreaking. 😮
Each and every one of these sub post masters should be awarded millions each from all the ordeal and trauma they've had to go through for a good part of their lives.
Heartbreaking. You poor man 😢
Heart breaking
It was all so vindictive - this is what gets me. Disgusting.
It is absolytely infuriating and govt wont apologize for their mistake they can easily accused the person that did not fo anything wrong and put them in prison while so many refugees and thieves in London stealing the most expensive stufffrom from dept. Store and they couldnt put them in prison where is the jystice in this country. I hope they will pay them million of compensation for ruining their lives.absolute no conscience that woman incharge of post office soo shameless
So traumatic!
It’s disgusting
It's hard enough getting sent down, but knowing your innocent too that's a killer, one person did commit suicide
Just been listening to the enquiry and an employee of the P O who was a fraud investigator says that they were given a financial incentive to prosecute
They just got on with it. What a man and what a family. I am so sorry for them.
I feel bad for all these post masters & their families😢 being illegally found guilty. Appalling nothing done untill a tv drama been aired now it’s getting attention
This is utterly devastating
Sad to see the pain you went through 😢
We can break the CPTSD cycle now.
Justice will be done disgusting how these people was treated
That poor man and his family - It's a disgrace what happened to him - I feel so much for him.
Poor guy and there are so many other stories like his... absolutely disgusting how they were treated.
All the responsible postmasters and all the corrupt bosses and lawyers. The whole judicial system and so called company "law" needs to be on trial here.
Absolutely shambles disgraceful heartbroken 💔
This is INFURIATING.
Only payment of millions would go to make up for the injustice this man suffered. The Post Office must be made to pay with all the millions in bonuses the culprits have paid themselves since 2003.
This is not about the post office. The rulers are doing this to us everyday, all day.
The fact that some people killed themselves over this, is mad. Outrageous. The people responsible must be held accountable.
Its an awful emotional trauma these people endured. Whole nervous system will never go back to normal.
I hope they will get decent money back
Pray you get peace and justice iA
Think it's time for the big bosses of Post office to go jail...See how it feels
where was the media before the drama was shown? and now they are all jumping on the bandwagon...disgraceful...
The media is a circus, it’s just a front in the name of journalism. Shocking