Postmistress could be cleared...27 years later

Key witness cites 'reasonable doubt' over conviction that predates Horizon scandal

- By Giles Sheldrick

A “HUGELY significant” piece of evidence could posthumously exonerate a postmistress 27 years after she was convicted.

A retired computer expert has found documents in which he chronicled the “accident waiting to happen” Capture IT system — which preceded the discredited Horizon set-up — in his garage.

Adrian Montagu was lined up as a key witness in the defence of Patricia Owen, who used Capture.

Since her conviction in 1998 her family believed he failed to show up at court but Mr Montagu claims he was stood down for “no reason”.

Now he has lifted the lid on the software used to convict Mrs Owen at Canterbury Crown Court.

Faults

In a blistering assessment, Mr Montagu prepared a report that described Capture as “an accident waiting to happen”, “totally discredited” and which produced “arithmetical or accounting errors”.