Cornish postmistress says Post Office system ‘ruined our lives’

Penny Williams was also wrongly accused of stealing £20,000 when she operated her branch in Manaccan on the Lizard.

She went bankrupt in 2014.

She said she had been following the public inquiry into the scandal, which began in February 2021 and has heard evidence from Post Office staff and employees of Fujitsu who developed the Horizon software.

She said: “It’s with me [the inquiry] all the time.

“At the end of the day you have to remember that the Post Office is owned by the general public – it’s funded by the government which is paid for by us, the public.

“A public inquiry, although absolutely vital, is a costly exercise being paid for by us, the general public.”

She said she is still waiting for compensation, but it is a “very long process”.

“This compensation money has got to set us up to where we would’ve been had the Post Office not done what they did,” she said.

“I’ve had amazing support once I moved my business out of the village, but being in a small village that empathy, understanding and support definitely wasn’t there and still isn’t today.

“Living in a rural area can be very difficult, everyone thinks they know the ins and outs of your business.

“We can’t move on until we get our compensation and make some decisions.

“You get to a point now where you can’t keep doing it.”