Post Office scandal: Daughter of victim, who was investigated as she fought cancer, calls on Fujitsu for compensation
Katie Watson’s mom Fiona handed away in 2004 lower than a one year after being forced to admit to stealing from her branch.
Right thru the investigation she used to be diagnosed with lymphoma.
Ms Watson described it as “wintry” and “heartless” to care for it up with investigating her mom instead of giving her “a probability” to leisure.
“Even though it used to be a case of ‘creep thru your therapy and we take care of this on the more than just a few facet’, there used to be none of that,” she suggested Sky News.
What’s the Put up Living of labor scandal?
Ms Watson added: “If she had been ready to fight it effectively then she might presumably want had a bit longer… she declined truly hastily…she appropriate might presumably maybe not attain it anymore.”
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IT company Fujitsu developed the substandard accounting tool Horizon – which saw a total lot of sub postmasters wrongfully accused of stealing from their Put up Locations of work between 1999 and 2015.
Ms Watson is section of a campaign neighborhood known as Lost Possibilities which used to be notify up after Fujitsu said it used to be “morally obligated” to succor victims and their households in January.
Paul Patterson, Fujitsu’s European head, spoke on the Put up Living of labor inquiry asserting he would “have interaction” in conversation with sub postmasters and family individuals.
He moreover looked at a opt committee in the identical month admitting that the corporate had a “lawful duty” to contribute against compensation.
Ms Watson said: “It is time [Fujitsu] took responsibility and intended it…up to now as but there might be been no action in the befriend of it – [Paul Patterson] truly needs to attain one thing.”
Mr Patterson met with sub postmasters and the young folk of Put up Living of labor scandal victims in August.
On the time he spoke to Sky News bringing up that Fujitsu “will contribute to redress” however the corporate’s “total attach” used to be “when the inquiry finishes”.
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The final section of the inquiry is now drawing to a detailed – with final submissions held in December.
At his final appearance on the inquiry earlier this month Mr Patterson insisted that the corporate soundless “want to have interaction” however he used to be “soundless unclear” on easy guidelines on how to succor family individuals of victims “varied than sums of cash”.
He promised no longer to “close silent” and would explore if Fujitsu is tantalizing to “have interaction” with Lost Possibilities “before the raze of the calendar one year”.
The campaign neighborhood explain their goal is no longer basically appropriate about financial redress however moreover getting toughen from Fujitsu in varied ways comparable to setting up a “family fund” to succor with issues devour tutorial grants and counselling.
After the death of her mom Ms Watson said she used to be forced to find her first job at 14 years ragged to “succor assign meals on the table” after her family misplaced all the pieces.
“We ended up in a caravan – however the caravan living you might maybe presumably maybe only be there for nine months of the one year so for 3 months we had been homeless,” she endured.
She added: “I didn’t raze up going to varsity. I uncared for out on these alternatives – to creep to varsity and possess all that childhood.”
Ms Watson now works two jobs, seven days a week.
She said she would “never find befriend what we misplaced” however appropriate wanted Fujitsu “to take hold of ownership”.
A Put up Living of labor spokesperson said: “We apologise unreservedly to victims of the Horizon IT Scandal and their loved ones.
“Put up Living of labor lately is doing all we are capable of to remodel the organisation for the longer term and toughen these impacted to hunt out closure, so far as that will presumably ever be that you just might maybe presumably maybe private.”
