“Now we are nothing. We don’t have any self-satisfaction in life.”

That’s the view of Tony Downey, a former subpostmaster from South Cumbria who recently returned with his wife to their post office in Hawkshead for the first time after fleeing the country because of the Horizon IT scandal.

Mr Downey told ITV’s Mr Bates vs The Post Office: The Real Story documentary that the drama of the scandal had given them the confidence to return to the post office together.

More than 700 subpostmasters were prosecuted by the Post Office and given criminal convictions between 1999 and 2015, as Fujitsu's faulty Horizon IT system made it appear as though money was missing at their branches.

(Image: Tony Downey, former subpostmaster from South Cumbria. Picture credit: ITV)


He said: “This was something six months ago that I could never have done.

“I really, really thought it was me. I was told it was me, so I assumed it was me. I just kept putting the money in. £36,800 until there was none left.”

READ MORE: Former Cumbria subpostmaster says Post Office 'not bothered' about compensation

Mr Downey bought the post office in 2001 and with his wife lived an idyllic life with their daughter Katie, the documentary heard.

(Image: The Downey Family. Picture credit: ITV)


That was until they started to experience shortfalls in 2006.

With no money left, he resigned in 2007.

“We were in a small community, so everybody knew,” Mr Downey said.

"It was shameful.

“We couldn’t even afford to pay the bills.

“I would have no doubt been on the council here and we would have got more involved with the village.”

(Image: Caroline Downey crying at returning to her mother's house. Picture credit: ITV)

His wife Caroline told the programme: “It was only 18 months ago that we found out it wasn’t us. Up until then it was the elephant in the room in our family that we never ever spoke of.”

The documentary was told Mr Downey suffered a nervous breakdown which left him unable to work.

The couple now live in a small apartment in Spain.

Mr Downey added: “Now, we are nothing. We don’t have any self-satisfaction in life.

“We’ve been living off sick pay for the last 20 years. Does anyone think I want to be on £120 trying to survive?"

Fewer than one in six wrongly accused subpostmasters have been sent letters confirming their convictions have been quashed, the Conservatives have said.

Shadow business minister Jerome Mayhew accused the Government of "exacerbating" the victims' trauma by "sitting on the letters", while Tory former minister David Davis urged the Government to send them out "quickly".

Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds admitted that progress on sending the letters out is "not fast enough", but assured MPs it is a priority.

Mr Bates vs The Post Office: The Real Story is available to stream now on ITV Player.