Police are probing 53 ‘persons of interest’ in relation to one of the biggest miscarriages of justice cases in British legal history but the huge probe could be delayed if it does not get funding
Police are set to quiz more suspects in the coming months as part of their probe into the Post Office Horizon scandal.
Around 13 people are believed to have taken their own lives following one of the worst miscarriage of justice cases in British legal history, a report said in July. Thousands more postmasters lost their livelihoods and savings after they were wrongly accused of stealing money from the Post Office where they worked.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council said this week that it is considering corporate and gross negligence manslaughter charges. There are now eight named suspects, with five having been interviewed under caution.
READ MORE: Police consider corporate manslaughter charges in Post Office scandal probeREAD MORE: Sir Alan Bates tells Mirror how Post Office victims fight for justice goes on
Michael Norman, the senior investigating officer, said: “Our anticipation is certainly in the first quarter, if not earlier, of 2026 there’s going to be a further three to four people interviewed.” There are now a total of 53 persons of interests who have been identified during the investigation, codenamed Operation Olympos.
The most likely potential charges would be perjury and perverting the course of justice. Mr Norman and Commander Stephen Clayman said that the police operation has requested further funding from the Home Office, and without this, they could face delays.
The Post Office has now confirmed it will not enforce any non-disclosure agreements signed by sub-postmasters, and the police encouraged any victims who had signed an NDA and had not yet come forward to do so.
Mr Clayman said: “The key message now is that if you are a victim the team is ready to speak to them. This is quite a key moment and we know there will be people out there who will be providing evidence that they haven’t provided before so it’s really important we do hear from them. We are now ready to listen and that’s really, really important.”
No arrests have yet been made and a process of providing case file material to the Crown Prosecution Service is ongoing. The first potential charges are not expected to come until late 2027 at the earliest, Mr Clayman said.
Around 1,000 people were wrongly prosecuted and convicted throughout the UK between 1999 and 2015 as a result of Horizon, with a significant number contemplating self-harm and some taking their own lives. The long-running battle for justice accelerated dramatically last year after ITV broadcast the drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office, which highlighted the scandal.
In July, the Post Office inquiry’s report said at least 13 people are believed to have taken their own lives as a result of the impact of the Horizon scandal. Inquiry chair Sir Wyn Williams revealed 59 others had contemplated suicide, including 10 who attempted to do so.
Sir Wyn’s report highlighted the case of Martin Griffiths, 59, who stepped in front of a bus in 2013 after Fujitsu’s faulty software suggested his branch in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, had shortfalls of £100,000.
It also named Michael Mann, 51, an ex- Post Office manager in Stockport who took his own life in 2013 after being interviewed on suspicion of fraud.
Police previously said the probe is “unprecedented” in size, with potentially more than 3,000 victims and evidence including more than 1.5 million documents. Investigators previously said they are looking at “a significant number of people” from the Post Office, from Fujitsu, and in the legal profession.
Mr Clayman said on Tuesday: “Everyone’s in play in terms of all the people involved in this from investigators, managers, lawyers…whoever up to board level, everyone in sight. We always say we will go where the evidence takes us in terms of who that may be.”
And he added: “We are going back to the Home Office to request an uplift in funding. If we don’t get the funding that will delay the outcomes of some of those investigations.” There are now 111 investigators working on the inquiry which has increased in size since the summer.
