Home / Crime and Justice / Family's Heartbreak: Post Office Scandal's Devastating Toll
Family's Heartbreak: Post Office Scandal's Devastating Toll
5 Dec
Summary
- Sub-postmaster's life destroyed by Post Office IT scandal.
- Innocent victim died before receiving full compensation.
- Scandal led to mental breakdown, ostracization, and suicide attempts.
The Post Office Horizon IT scandal has continued to shatter lives, with a recent BBC Breakfast segment detailing the tragic story of former sub-postmaster Jonathan Armstrong. Despite his innocence, his life was irrevocably damaged by the scandal, culminating in a suicide attempt and a heart attack that claimed his life before he received full compensation.
Jonathan, who had fled political unrest in Zimbabwe for a new life in the UK, became a sub-postmaster in Bexhill-on-Sea in 2006. Though his branch won an award, the subsequent audits, driven by the faulty Horizon system, led to accusations of theft. This resulted in a mental breakdown, a period of hospitalization, and community ostracization, leaving him a "broken man."
His widow, Sarah, and daughter, Becky, shared their harrowing experience, emphasizing that their lives were never the same. They spoke of the immense desperation and the devastating impact on Jonathan, who became a shell of his former self. The family's testimony underscores the profound suffering and loss experienced by thousands affected by what is now recognized as Britain's worst miscarriage of justice.
