An innocent mum was thrown in prison and lost her home after being accused of stealing nearly £60,000 from the Post Office she ran.
Janet Skinner was sent to prison among child killers after being wrongly branded a thief over apparent account shortfalls created by faulty computer system Horizon.
She was one of 230 former postmasters and postmistresses jailed in a huge miscarriage of justice.
The mum served three months of a nine-month sentence in 2007 following an alleged £59,000 shortfall at her post office in Hull.
Janet Skinner was sent to prison among child killers after being wrongly branded a thief
PA
She was later released with an electronic tag and her conviction was revoked in April 2021.
“The Post Office ruined my life. My health has gone, I’m disabled and I have to live with the support of benefits,” Skinner told The Sun.
“There isn’t a single day I don’t think about what this did to me. You just can’t move on from something like this.”
The 52-year-old has also been featured in a four-part drama which has left viewers appalled by the scandal.
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Skinner is now demanding that former Post Office chief executive Paula Vennells is stripped of her 2019 CBE.
She added: “It should be removed straight away and it shouldn’t stop there. She and all the others at the top benefited and thrived while we suffered, and at such a cost to our lives and families.
“Why is it right that someone like Paula Vennells prospers when so many lives were ruined? I hope that with this TV series now reaching so many people, whoever is responsible takes action.
“This has never just been about compensation, it has always been about justice.”
The mum served three months of a nine-month sentence in 2007 following an alleged £59,000 shortfall at her post office in Hull
PA
Between the years 1999 and 2015, the Post Office pursued branch owners across the country for alleged theft.
In 2019, the convictions were ruled wrongful after a group of Post Office operators won a high court case.
In February 2022, a public inquiry into the scandal was opened and is due to continue until later this year.
Have you been affected by the Horizon IT scandal? If you’d like to share your story, get in touch with [email protected].
