Subpostmistress ‘vindicated’ by OBE but vows to continue Horizon scandal fight

A former subpostmistress who was a victim of the Horizon IT scandal said she feels “vindicated” but “the fight continues” after being made an Officer of the British Empire (OBE).

Jo Hamilton, 68, was falsely prosecuted for a shortfall of £36,000 at her Post Office branch in South Warnborough, Hampshire, in 2006.

Mrs Hamilton, who was played by Monica Dolan in the drama Mr Bates Vs The Post Office, said being honoured for services to justice by the Princess Royal at Buckingham Palace on Thursday was “beautiful”.

She told the PA news agency: “I feel honoured to be honoured but the fight continues.

“We’re still at war until the rest of the postmasters are paid, which is just awful.”

She added: “I do feel vindicated but I can’t rest.

“You’d think that after everything that this is the cherry on the cake but I can’t stop because I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for my colleagues.”

Mrs Hamilton continued: “Everyone needs to be paid what’s right and let everyone get on with their lives because we’re all running out of road.

“I’m 22 years older than when it started, I shouldn’t have to still be fighting.”

On receiving the letter about her honour, she said: “You can’t mistake the envelope, I knew it was something important.

“It was lovely to receive and it’s just another step on my journey to get proper redress for everybody.”

The Government announced earlier this month that more than £1 billion has been paid out to subpostmasters across the Horizon-related schemes.

Between 1999 and 2015, more than 900 subpostmasters were prosecuted after faulty Horizon accounting software made it look as though money was missing from their accounts.

Many are still awaiting compensation.