A Bolton man who was wrongly prosecuted by the Post Office has said the devastating effect on his life has continued – as he is being forced to sell his pub in the town centre.
The Piggy Bank on Newport Street has gone on the market
Kevin Banks has had it for eight years, but due to insufficient capital he is being forced to sell.
The man from Great Lever bought the Old Lane Post Office in Salford in 1997 along with wife Tracy.
But as the computer system Horizon was installed they found themselves encountering losses.
He lost the post office in 2001 and was prosecuted in 2007.
He was one of the many victims of the scandal where 700 people were given criminal conviction when the software made it seem like money was missing when the people involved had done nothing wrong.
An inquiry into the scandal is ongoing where disgraced ex-Post Office boss Paula Vennells has admitted she “made mistakes” but denied there was a conspiracy to cover up the scandal.
Mr Banks was wrongly accused of stealing £10,000.
His father paid £5,000 to prevent him from going to prison.
Mr Bank’s wife got depression and died after a fall down the stairs and he was left to raise six children by himself.
And the devastating effect on his life has continued as he is being forced to sell The Piggy Bank due to insufficient capital.
He said: “After what Horizon did to me I need the extra cash to go and buy a property.
“I have just missed out on a property, it is just one of those things.
“It is still up for sale.
“I want to go and get another commercial property in the centre of Bolton.
“I have had the Piggy Bank for eight years, it is dreadfully sad to have to sell it.
“I do not have the capital to keep it going.
“Due to the Post Office and a few other things that have happened my credit rating is very poor.”
Read more: Paula Vennells apologises to subpostmasters at Post Office Horizon IT inquiry
Read more: Post Office: A timeline of events
Read more: Paula Vennells admits ‘mistakes’ but denies conspiracy in Horizon scandal
He added “When I watched the TV drama I could only watch for 20 minutes at a time and I can’t watch the enquiry that is ongoing.
“They are talking about £630,000 in compensation, if I had that I would not just have missed out on a property.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel