A postmaster, backed by Princess Kate and her family, is urging justice for all victims of the Horizon IT scandal. Hasmukh Shingadia, 63, received support from the Middletons when falsely accused of stealing £16,000 from the Post Office due to the faulty Horizon computer system.
Shingadia, convicted of false accounting, insists on overturning every wrongful conviction, highlighting the plight of 700 sub-postmasters. The Middletons, regular customers at Shingadia's shop, remained supportive, even attending his shop after Kate's engagement. Shingadia attended Kate and Prince William's royal wedding in 2011, appreciating their ongoing kindness.
Now, he urges Rishi Sunak to clear accusations against all 736 wrongly convicted sub-postmasters from 2000 to 2015. Paula Vennels, ex-Post Office boss, returned her CBE amidst the scandal, and victims faced financial ruin, imprisonment, and death. Shingadia asserted the irreversible impact on those wrongly convicted, demanding justice and acknowledging the Middleton family's unwavering support.
Speaking to Asian Voice, ex-subpostmaster Hasmukh Shingadia, 63, who now runs a shop in Upper Bucklebury, Berks, said, “In no way can the government compensate for the years lost with this amount they’re offering.” When asked how soon does he expect to be compensated, he said, “I’ve been working on this for over a year now to collate all the information. So I suppose in six months something should be finalised.” “At the moment, I’m just hoping that the committee hearing from the post office will do justice. Hopefully, this should give some sort of hope for some resources. We have waited for a long time,” he added.
