Innocent dad locked up with rapists and murderers
FORMER BRANCH MANAGER’S LIFE ‘LEFT ‘IN TATTERS’ AFTER HE WAS WRONGLY JAILED IN POST OFFICE SCANDAL
A DAD-OF-THREE wrongly jailed for the theft of almost £18,000 as part of the Post Office scandal has revealed how his life was left “in tatters” after being sentenced to more than a year in prison.
Khayyam Ishaq was one of more than 700 branch managers falsely convicted of stealing money from the Post Office. Last year, their wrongful convictions were overturned, with some people having to wait a decade to be absolved of guilt.
It was revealed the missing cash was, in fact, due to major flaws in the Horizon IT system. The scandal, which saw 732 sub-postmasters wrongly convicted for theft, false accounting and fraud, has since been described as one of the most widespread miscarriages of justice in history.
Mr Ishaq worked as the sub-postmaster at the Birkenshaw Post Office from 2008 until 2011. However, he was falsely convicted of stealing £17,863 in 2013.
In a witness impact statement to the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry, Mr Ishaq explained how his barrister encouraged him to plead guilty. He believed this would spare him jail time, but he was instead sent directly to jail after a “terrifying” trial - and wasn’t even allowed to say goodbye to his children, who were aged just 3, 5 and 7 at the time.
“I was under the impression that by pleading guilty, I would be going home to my family that same day,” he said.
“However, I was sent into a state of shock when I was then told that I would be going to prison immediately.
“We (Mr Ishaq and his wife) told them that I had just gone on holiday in order to protect them from the truth. To this day, they do not know the truth.”
He was subsequently sent to HM Prison Leeds, where he was locked up with rapists and murderers and saw inmates being slashed with knives. It took another eight years for his conviction to be overturned.
Even when Mr Ishaq was released after three months, he had to wear a tag. He says the ordeal changed his entire personality and his outlook on life as he struggled to find work, despite having a degree in biomedical sciences.
“My life felt as though it was in tatters,” said Mr Ishaq. “After being released from prison I struggled to find work. I was very embarrassed about having to wear a prison tag and I tried to hide it as much as possible.
“I was diagnosed as suffering a Depressive Disorder and told that, although I am currently largely recovered from this, it is likely to be something that will affect me for the rest of my life.”
Mr Ishaq, who now works part-time as a delivery driver and a social media consultant, didn’t see his conviction overturned until April 23, 2021. He said the trauma has led to him becoming “a lot more introverted” and he now only prays at home.
“My father is well known in Dewsbury