‘Mr Bates vs the Post Office’ contains hard lessons for the Church

The dramatisation of what has been called “the UK’s most widespread miscarriage of justice” should be a warning to the Church and Christians everywhere that truth is more important than reputation. We must fight for it at all costs

Anyone who watched ITV’s Mr Bates vs the Post Office this week may have felt like throwing the remote control at the screen, such was the travesty of justice that unfolded in this excellently-told true story. 

Based on events over the last 20 years, we witness the systematic undoing of hardworking sub-postmasters due to a fault in Horizon, the Post Office computing system, which created false negative cash balances.

Aware that books weren’t balancing, staff reached out to the Horizon helpline or the Post Office audit team only to be told that the loss of cash must be their fault. Demands for repayment followed, often for sums over £10,000. Isolated, and with no means to defend themselves, many sub-postmasters had to borrow money to repay the cash. Many lost their homes, health, families and businesses. Some attempted suicide. A few were sent to prison.