Michael Madden

Belfast-based Madden & Finucane Solicitors said an interim payment of £200,000 had been paid to a client whose 2003 conviction was quashed by the Post Office (Horizon Systems) Act 2024.

The legislation, which came into force in May, provides for the quashing of convictions for certain offences alleged to have been committed while the faulty Horizon system was in use by the Post Office. It also allows for the deletion of cautions for those offences.

The firm said their client was informed of the overturned conviction in a letter from Northern Ireland’s Department of Justice on 19 September 2024 and they received the interim payment yesterday.

They are due to receive a further £400,000 under the overturned convictions redress scheme.

Michael Madden of Madden & Finucane said: “Our client had her reputation stolen from her by Post Office for over 20 years. Her reputation was restored when she received a letter from Department of Justice informing her that her conviction was quashed.

“The £600,000 compensation will go some way to redress her loss — however, the lost years can never be returned. Unfortunately, the trauma of the false conviction suffered by our client had a devastating impact on every aspect of her life.

“We expect further interim payments to be made in the coming days to other clients and we will be pressing Post Office to deliver the remainder of the claims without delay.”