A former postmaster wrongly imprisoned during the Horizon IT scandal has turned down £600,000 in compensation- saying it is not a "fair amount".
Sunil Patel, 62, ran a Post Office in St Mary’s Bay, Kent, alongside the neighbouring Beachside Stores with his wife Stella.
But in 2010, the father-of-three from Littlestone was sentenced to 15 months in prison after being wrongly accused of stealing £48,000 from the company between 2008 and 2009.
Mr Patel was one of more than 900 sub-postmasters prosecuted for stealing due to incorrect information provided by the faulty Horizon computer system.
After being convicted on three counts of falsifying accounts, he served nine months at HMP Elmley on the Isle of Sheppey before being let out early for good behaviour.
Last week, Mr Patel finally received a letter from the Ministry of Justice saying his conviction had been overturned, something he describes as a “weight being lifted”.
But he says the government’s offer of £600,000 compensation - which includes the £48,000 he was ordered to pay back - does not go far enough.
The conviction meant Mr Patel, who now works for HM Revenue and Customs, had to sell off two of his properties to pay off the debt and pay back a business loan of £180,000.
He said: “They are offering one-off compensation for £600,000 which includes your shortfall.
“I was told I could take that if I wanted, but if I think it's not fair I can fight them for a fairer amount.
“I had to go through so much suffering to pay off that £48,000.
“After the 15 years I have suffered and the really heavy losses, it [the £600,000] doesn't compare to what would have happened if I hadn't gone through that.
“People who didn't go to prison were offered that, and I had to go for nine months.”
The Department of Business and Trade (DBT) has set up the redress scheme for postmasters who had their convictions overturned so they can access compensation.
Victims have the choice of taking a fixed settlement of £600,000 or they can opt to have a fully detailed assessment if they feel the sum is unfair, something Mr Patel has chosen to do.
