I want justice for husband driven to an early grave
WIDOW Karen Wilson went to the High Court yesterday bearing a small box containing some of her husband Julian’s ashes to fulfil a promise to seek justice for him.
The former sub-postmaster, 67 – named as a claimant in the case – died three years ago from cancer as a convicted criminal despite fighting to restore his reputation for over a decade.
Mrs Wilson, 64, of Redditch, Worcestershire, said: ‘The doctor said all of this did contribute to his early death. I promised him, “You will have your day in court, your name will be cleared”.
‘Julian was a well-educated, meticulous, honest and fabulous man. He was a businessman and had run companies for 30 years.
‘I am an ex-policewoman and in 2002 we decided to settle down and buy the local post office and shop where I grew up. We paid £100,000 and went to work 5am to 8pm every day.
‘We had eight fantastic years. But then Horizon kept saying there was money “missing”.
‘No matter who Julian spoke to at the Post Office, nobody wanted to know. We started making up shortfalls from the shop takings.
‘But it grew to thousands. I sold every piece of jewellery we had, including my engagement ring, to make up the losses.
‘It broke his heart. In the end, they confiscated our house, the car, the business and they told Julian he could go to prison for six years for theft or plead guilty to £27,000 of false accounting.
‘He was sentenced to 300 hours’ community service. He was 56 and ended up with a gang of criminals cleaning a graveyard. Before that, he had never even got a parking ticket.’