A FORMER Post Office subpostmaster caught up in the Horizon scandal has had his wrongful conviction quashed.
Robert Thomson was convicted of one charge of embezzlement in 2006 and sentenced to 180 hours of community service.
His case was one of six referred to the High Court by the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission (SCCRC) in November 2022 over potential miscarriages of justice.
Thomson’s appeal was due to be heard on February 1.
However, court officials confirmed the case was dealt with administratively on Wednesday and the conviction quashed.
Around 100 subpostmasters in Scotland were convicted after they were wrongly accused of embezzling money in the Horizon scandal, and First Minister Humza Yousaf has pledged to get “justice” for those involved.
READ MORE: Former investigator still believes Scots subpostmaster stole money
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said legislation will be introduced to exonerate subpostmasters convicted in England and Wales and vowed to get “justice and compensation” for victims.
More than 700 Post Office managers across the UK were convicted after the faulty Horizon accounting software, made by Fujitsu, made it look like money was missing from branches.
The Scottish Government is working on its own legislation to exonerate those wrongly convicted in the Post Office Horizon scandal.
In 2006, Thomson pleaded guilty at Alloa Sheriff Court to one charge of embezzlement.
The court imposed community service and a compensation order of £5,000.
When referring the cases to the High Court in 2022, the SCCRC concluded those who had pleaded guilty did so in circumstances that were, or could be said to be, clearly prejudicial to them.
READ MORE: Public will be called up to fight if UK goes to war, army chief warns
At an Appeal Court hearing in Edinburgh on January 12 ahead of the expected full appeal hearing, Thomson’s lawyer Wendy Culross told the court the ordeal has been a “nightmare” for him.
She said he was “not interested in compensation” and just wanted to clear his name.
A Post Office spokeswoman said it does not comment on individual cases, but added: “We are deeply sorry for past wrongs and are doing all we can to put these right, including extensive work to support overturning wrongful convictions.
“This work includes assisting the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service as we continue to work with the Government to support its efforts to speed up the exoneration of people with wrongful convictions.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel