Post Office trial halted until next week

A High Court hearing, brought by more than 500 former post office workers who claim they were wrongly blamed for financial irregularities caused by a computer glitch, was halted last week after the Post Office accused the judge of bias.

Among the post officers workers taking part in the group action is Tracy Felstead from Telford, who is fighting to clear her name after being sentenced to six months in jail for the theft of £11,000 in 2001.

The company applied for the Hon Mr Justice Fraser to be removed from the proceedings, and put its case before the court this week. It will be up to Judge Fraser himself to decide whether he should continue, and he adjourned the hearing for a date to be fixed, saying he expected to make his decision early next week.

The legal action consists of four separate trials, and Judge Fraser found in favour of the post office workers in the first one – which examined the contractual relationship between post office staff and the company – when he published his judgment last month.

The second trial, which began last month before it was halted, will look at the Post Office’s Horizon computer system, which the workers say was responsible for creating shortfalls in their accounts.

Miss Felstead is also trying to get her conviction overturned through the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC).

Also fighting to clear her name is Rubbina Shaheen, who used to keep Greenfields Post Office in Shrewsbury. Mrs Shaheen, 53, was jailed for 12 months in 2010 for false accountancy. She is not part of the High Court action but is seeking to have her conviction overturned by the CCRC.

The Post Office denies there is a problem with the Horizon computer system.

If the judge stands down or is removed, the second trial will be begin once more from the start with a different judge.

The case continues.