Widower determined to clear subpostmaster wife’s name
The widower of a subpostmaster has said it would mean “the world” to his late wife to clear her name as a date was set for an appeal against her conviction for embezzling money from the Post Office.
Caren Lorimer pleaded guilty at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court in 2009 to one charge of embezzlement from a Post Office. She was handed a community service order requiring 300 hours of unpaid work and a compensation order for £15,000.
In 2022, another woman applied to the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission (SCCRC) on Lorimer’s behalf seeking a review of the conviction.
More than 700 Post Office branch managers around the UK were prosecuted between 1999 and 2015 after faulty Horizon accounting software made it look as though money was missing from their shops.
During a brief hearing at the Court of Session in Edinburgh yesterday, Lord Justice Clerk Lady Dorrian fixed an appeal date for June 14 “unless matters are resolved prior to that”.
Speaking to reporters after the hearing, Mrs Lorimer’s widower David, 62, said it would mean “the world” for her name to be cleared.
He said: “It’s been so difficult living with it, still trying to do your own thing, face your friends. It’s always in the background. I wish Caren had known how many people were involved, because she thought she was the only one.”
Mrs Lorimer’s niece Joanne Hughes, 47, said her aunt would be proud of what is now being done to clear her name, but added: “It should all have been dealt with a lot sooner.”
The SCCRC referred Mrs Lorimer’s conviction to the High Court for determination as it concluded she pled guilty in circumstances that were, or could be said to be, clearly prejudicial to her.
It also concluded Horizon evidence was essential to the proof of the accounting shortfall that led to the charge being brought against her, and that the prosecution was oppressive because the process was an affront to justice.
Michael Walker, the commission’s chief executive, said: “Subpostmasters are still coming forward to tell us that they have suffered a miscarriage of justice. We encourage anyone who hasn’t yet done so to get in touch. If the person affected has died, we will accept applications from next of kin. Our service is free and easy to use. You don’t need a solicitor.”