Summary
The conviction of Patricia Owen, a former sub-postmistress, connected to the Post Office Capture system, will be reviewed by the Court of Appeal. This decision comes after it was suggested that her conviction was a result of misuse of the system, which is similar to the Horizon software involved in many wrongful convictions.
Key Facts
- Patricia Owen was convicted of theft in June 1998, related to the Capture system, which came before the Horizon system.
- She was accused of stealing £6,000 from the Broad Oak Post Office near Canterbury.
- Owen's conviction is now under review by the Court of Appeal, although she passed away in 2003.
- The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) is looking into whether the Capture software influenced her conviction.
- The Capture and Horizon systems have been involved in about 1,000 wrongful convictions.
- The CCRC has already referred more than 70 similar cases to the appeal courts.
- An independent report into the Capture software was started last year.
- The UK government's Department for Business and Trade is working on a new redress scheme for affected postmasters.
