'Help us clear Dad's name', beg family of retired subpostmaster caught up in Horizon scandal

A former subpostmaster’s family have told how his good name was dragged through the mud by the Post Office - and they want an apology. John and Alice Vaughan ran the Northop Hall Post Office in Flintshire and even endured the trauma of two armed robberies during their careers.

But like many such staff John was wrongly accused of “pilfering” by the Post Office, according to his son Mark Vaughan. Ultimately, to keep the peace, John used some of his savings to pay the PO about £30,000, say his family.

However, it was all unnecessary because he had done nothing wrong, it is claimed. Widower John, now aged 86, has dementia and lives in a care home. His wife Alice died aged 64 in 2005.

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The family have decided to speak out about their ordeal in the wake of the hit ITV drama Mr Bates vs the Post Office, starring Toby Jones in the title role. It also comes after it was announced that Alan Bates, a former Llandudno subpostmaster who led the campaign for justice after the Horizon IT computer software scandal, was knighted in the King's Birthday Honours.

Mark Vaughan, 56, of Colwyn Bay, told North Wales Live: “There was something ‘wrong’ every Wednesday. My Dad would ring up the helpline every week about the Horizon computer and they'd say 'Don't worry'.

"In the ITV programme they (the PO) denied that they had phone calls (raising concerns about Horizon) but they did have phone calls."

Eventually, things took a dire turn for John as he was wrongly accused of "pilfering". He was suspended in 2009 and was closed down in 2010 because of the "shortfalls", said Mark.

Mark says his Dad, who was living in Prestatyn while working as a subpostmaster in Northop Hall, moved into Mark's house in Colwyn Bay. Mark claims a man even came to their house in Colwyn Bay in 2011 demanding a meeting over a "£35,000 discrepancy".

The handwritten note is dated November 21, 2011 and reads: "Dear John Vaughan please can you get in touch with your area manager regarding 35,000 discrepancy. Thanks (named individual)."

Mark kept the note and fished it out of a box of his father's documents in his shed only this week. Incredibly, John did "repay" that massive "shortfall" even though Horizon bugs were responsible, said Mark.

In 2009 John Andrew Vaughan had been "suspended" for the apparent discrepancies in his branch. But the Post Office accepted the blame for the Horizon scandal in 2018 and last year it undertook a "Suspension Remuneration Review."

In April this year John received a letter from Post Office Ltd offering him £4,951.11 covering his "period of suspension" from September 10, 2009 until November 4, 2009 which the family has accepted.

Mark, a nurse, said his Dad had Parkinson’s by then and the pressure was intense. “It destroyed him - his reputation. Dad was very angry because he has never been in debt in his life.

"He paid them about £30,000 so it did not stress the family any more. But it's not about the money. I want an apology and his good name back - before it's too late. He's 86," said Mark.

"He was once six-foot tall but he's not now. He has dementia and he's in a wheelchair."

During John's traumatic PO career, there were even two robberies at their branch around 2008. In one incident robbers armed with a shotgun targeted the business, leaving John "crying" on the floor behind the counter. In the other the raiders had machetes, says Mark.

But Mark has another issue with the Post Office. He claims that when John's wife Alice - Mark's mother - died in 2005, the PO asked John to go back to work the day after the funeral.

"They'd been married since 1964!" said Mark. In the event a grieving John took three weeks off work.

Mark is still upset about the way his father was treated. He admits: “I won’t watch the (ITV) drama. It’s too much.”

Mark, who is also a widower, is an only child but John has three grandsons Nathan, Luke and Ethan. Nathan, 30, is also battling for justice for his grandad.

The Post Office told North Wales Live it is "deeply sorry for the pain" experienced by so many people. Remuneration has occurred and PO encourages Mr Vaughan to apply to the Horizon Shortfall Scheme for "redress" as soon as possible.

Post Office statement

A Post Office spokesperson said: “We are deeply sorry for the pain which has been suffered by so many people, their families and friends throughout the Horizon IT Scandal. Before March 2019, Postmasters were not remunerated during the period of any contract suspension.

"We have subsequently changed this policy, resulting in Postmasters being remunerated during a period of suspension. The Common Issues Judgment in 2019 found that clauses in Postmaster contracts allowing Post Office to withhold remuneration during any period of suspension were unreasonable under the Unfair Contract Terms Act, so Post Office was not entitled to rely on them.

“Following the 2019 Judgement, the Horizon Shortfall Scheme was established to provide redress to Postmasters who believe they experienced shortfalls related to previous versions of Horizon. The scheme is open to late applications.

"Every single claim is assessed by an independent panel before it recommends an outcome, and that offer can rightly be disputed. The dispute process provides for free, independent mediation. We encourage this individual to submit a claim for assessment as soon as possible.”