Hounded to death

'13 suicides' over faulty Post Office IT, report says Bosses ignored workers who flagged up problems

- BY DAVE BURKE Political Correspondent

THE full human cost of the Post Office IT scandal was laid bare in a report that told how bosses ignored repeated complaints about the system.

Sir Wyn Williams yesterday revealed at least 13 workers are believed to have taken their own lives amid false claims that they stole cash from their branches.

He also said 59 others had contemplated suicide - including 10 who had attempted it.

Among the victims was subpostmaster Martin Griffiths, 59. He stepped in front of a bus in 2013 after being accused of stealing more than £100,000 at Ellesmere Port in Cheshire.

Campaigner Sir Alan Bates had asked in a letter to Post Office chiefs that year why they "had to hound him to the point of trying to take his own life"?

In his long-awaited report, Sir Wyn said: "Mr Griffiths' death was and remains devastating for his wife, children and close family."

Martin was ordered to make repayments and his contract was terminated four months before he died. His parents had contributed all their savings to help pay off the wrongful debt.

The report also named Michael Mann, a Post Office manager who took his own life in 2013 after being quizzed on alleged fraud.

The report said workers started to complain that the Horizon IT software was producing false data almost as soon as it was rolled out, but nothing was done.

Sir Wyn wrote: "As the years went by the complaints grew louder and more persistent.