Horizon Post Office scandal victims 'don't have luxury of time', inquiry commander warns

Police have warned that time is running out for the victims of the Horizon Post Office scandal to receive justice, unless millions of pounds are funnelled into the criminal investigation.

Commander Stephen Clayman, who is leading the national police inquiry, said the investigation could be delayed by five years if the resourcing needs of the investigation were not met.

He said the projected budget for the investigation would be £19.3m for 2026/27 and "beyond".

In addition, the team would need to be almost doubled, from 111 to 210, to meet the timeline to submit files for charging by late 2027 or early 2028, he said.

The Home Office has provided a special grant of £2.8m towards the investigation into potential suspects and their involvement in the scandal, meaning there is a significant shortfall.

The debacle saw hundreds of sub-postmasters wrongly convicted of theft because of the flawed Horizon IT system, in one of the biggest miscarriages of justice in British legal history.

Prospect of delay 'unacceptable'

Former sub-postmaster Chris Head told Sky News "it is absolutely vital" that the government releases whatever funding police require to meet their timeline.

"The victims of this scandal deserve nothing less," he said.

"They have waited well over 20 years for justice and accountability, and it is unacceptable that this could be delayed further due to a lack of funding."

Commander Clayman said the priority remained to "deliver justice for victims and families affected by the Post Office Horizon scandal".

"Many of these victims have been living with the impact of this for 24 years, some have already died and many more are reaching older age," he said.

"Put simply, we do not have the luxury of time and must provide answers as soon as possible to those who so desperately deserve them."

He said police had interviewed seven more suspects under caution so far this year as part of Operation Olympos, meaning 13 out of 53 people under investigation have been questioned.

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'Hugely complex' investigation

Commander Clayman said the scope of the inquiry was massive, with eight million documents currently being held by investigators.

"The realities, however, are that our investigation remains hugely complex. Detectives are currently holding eight million documents," he said.

"This number is set to grow, with many of these documents needing to be forensically reviewed and considered.

"Only by doing this can we piece together exactly what happened, establish who knew what and understand the role suspects may have played."

A government spokesperson said the scandal was "an appalling injustice" and it was important "full and fair redress is paid out quickly to those who suffered".

They also said an investigation by the National Police Chiefs' Council and the Metropolitan Police Service into potential criminality in the prosecutions of sub postmasters and the wider presentation of the Horizon IT system as robust was ongoing.

They added: "The Home Office has provided £3.2m since 2023 to the MPS for Op Olympos and has allocated a further £2.8m in 26/27 and is considering requests for further funding."

(c) Sky News 2026: Horizon Post Office scandal victims 'don't have luxury of time', inquiry commander warns