Oldest victim of Post Office scandal, 92, receives final payout

Since receiving her long-awaITed compensation from one of the government's compensation plans, the oldest living survivor of the Post Office Horizon IT scandal has said she can now look to the future.I can settle up my affairs.

I can turn the heat up to full blast, and that will be amazing,

Betty Brown, 92, told the BBC. In 2003, Mrs Brown was forced out of her Post Office in County Durham after she and her late husband invested more than £50,000 to fund shortfalls that didn't exist. The settlement came after it was announced that campaigner Sir Alan Bates had agreed to a multi-million-pound compensation figure from the Post Office.

They've realised justice for the first time in 26 years,

she said, adding, pity they took so long.Her Post Office had been one of the region's most popular, but she had to sell it at a loss. She had previously said that it completely destroyed my whole life when speaking out about what happened. Because of the Horizon IT system's provision of inaccurate information, more than 900 sub-postmasters were wrongfully charged. Thousands more people, including Mrs Brown, were forced to compensate for the suspected losses at their branches around the country. The affair has been described as one of the nation's widest miscarriages of justice.

Mrs Brown was one of the original 555 protesters against the Post Office led by Sir Alan Bates. Sir Alan's final deal was fantastic, she said, referring to him as her hero.I think the government is starting to pay attention at a long time.

They are starting to listen, but they're starting to act,

Mrs Brown said. Both Mrs Brown and Sir Alan were part of the Group Litigation Order compensation scheme, and those who wanted to recover were given the option of either paying a fixed sum of £75,000 or seeking their own settlement.

Mrs Brown was originally paid less than half of what she had been asking for in compensation in Dec 2024. That was gradually increased to 70% earlier this year, which she denied. Her case was then transferred to an independent commission. There were two main sticking points. Firstly, the Post Office discounted 10% off the income she was earning when she was running her store, which had a huge effect on the calculation of her future loss of earnings. And then it downgraded her case for psychological harm from severe to moderately severe, even though her medical report had found it was not severe. Mrs Brown had the opportunity to address the panel, an event she described as reliving the past.

The emotions, the fear, and the terror had all returned,

she said. The panel found in her favour. Mrs Brown had already dropped a few incidental charges for business expenses because she didn't have any paperwork and the lack of evidence was being criticized by the government. She now has about 95% of what she claimed for, and Mrs Brown is content with that. The most recent government estimates up to the end of September, which do not include Mrs Brown's payout, show that out of 492 eligible claimants, 385, have had their cases fully settled, with more than 100 people waiting for their final payment. Across all the government compensation schemes, £1. More than 9,100 victims have been paid out by 2bn since being notified. Mrs Brown said, This is a redress scheme.They've only given us back what they stole from us. We haven't had a penny in compensation.

Mr Brown has been delivering the message for former sub-postmasters over the past two years, making her one of the most effective advocates for justice for former slaves. She has appeared on BBC Breakfast, Newsnight, and even brought government ministers to question. At her local church coffee morning, Mrs Brown enjoyed tea and cake. When she broke the news of her final payout, she received a round of applause and some hugs. Mrs Brown also stated that she was not finished.

I don't want to put my feet up,she said.I just want the other sub-postmasters to have what I have been given. That's all I want – justice for every one of them.