Post Office Offers Compensation to Horizon IT Victims Over Data Leak

20 May 2025

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LONDON - The Post Office has announced compensation for hundreds of former sub-postmasters and mistresses affected by a data breach in June 2024. The breach involved the accidental publication of personal details, including names and addresses, of 555 individuals who were victims of the Horizon IT scandal. This incident added further distress to those already impacted by one of the UK's most significant legal miscarriages.

Under the compensation scheme, affected individuals will receive payments capped at £5,000, with the amount varying based on whether the leaked address was current. Specifically, victims will receive either £5,000 or £3,500. The Post Office has confirmed that higher claims may still be pursued. In a statement, the organization said:

“We have written to all named individuals either directly, or via their solicitors. If there are any individuals whose name was impacted by last year’s breach, but who have not received information about the payment for some reason, they can contact us or ask their solicitors if they have legal representation.”

The law firm Freeths, representing 420 of the affected individuals, reported that 348 clients have already received payments. Freeths indicated that most of those affected would receive a “significant interim compensation payment.”

The Horizon IT scandal, which led to over 900 wrongful prosecutions between 1999 and 2015, has been described as one of the UK's worst legal injustices. The government has allocated £1.8 billion to cover all associated compensation claims, with payouts so far ranging from £10,000 to over £1 million.

This latest compensation effort aims to address the additional emotional and psychological distress caused by the data breach, as the Post Office continues to work towards rectifying the consequences of the Horizon IT scandal.