A former subpostmistress from York who was a victim of the Post Office Horizon IT scandal says a new ITV drama on the issue has “brought it all back”.
And she once again called for action to compensate victims, as she finds herself still in thousands of pounds worth of debt years after closing her office’s doors.
Wendy Martin opened her own Post Office in Crichton Avenue, Clifton, in February 2015 and said she immediately started facing problems with the computer systems, including transactions disappearing.
Twenty months later she was forced to close her branch due to stress caused by the issues with the IT system.
The 53-year-old mother, who lives with her partner in Clifton, has fought to bring justice to victims of the scandal.
'It just brought everything back'
Last week, ITV aired drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office which has catapulted the issue back into the media.
“I sat and watched it. I binge watched it the same night,” Mrs Martin told The Press.
Mrs Martin was one of the first people to speak out about the scandal, including through the pages of The Press at the time.
She has taken part in the ongoing public inquiry into the issue.
Writer of the ITV drama Gwyneth Hughes visited Mrs Martin when making the show.
“It just brought everything back,” she said.
“It was just that stress we went through.”
Mrs Martin explained how the stress of working at the post office intensified as customers would question why their bills had not been paid and grow angry.
She spoke of how she was at a loose end trying to rectify these errors, with it later becoming clear it was a result of the IT glitch rather than something she had done.
“Some days I’d have piles after piles of paperwork,” Mrs Martin explained.
“It was just so stressful.”
The former subpostmistress added she would phone the Post Office help line, but could get no answers.
'I was so ill from the stress'
It led to sleepless nights and the stress still affects her today.
“I was so ill from the stress. I didn’t sleep for over an hour a night for those two years,” Mrs Martin said.
“It was awful. My stress levels were through the roof.”
The stress grew so bad it brought on an early menopause and caused her to suffer from osteoporosis – a health condition that weakens bones, making them fragile and more likely to break.
Years on, Mrs Martin said she still suffers from bouts of depression and is unable to work full time.
She now works part time carrying out admin work for Euro Car Parks.
Former subpostmistress calls for Post Office to 'acknowledge' those affected
Mrs Martin welcomed the scandal being back in the media and once again called for action to help those affected.
She was never convicted of any wrongdoing so has no convictions to quash.
But she is still in thousands of pounds of debt after having to close her post office, which she expects to be the case until 2052.
Mrs Martin called for those in a similar situation to herself to be fully compensated.
And she called on the Post Office to “acknowledge” those affected.
“There are hundreds and hundreds of people affected,” she said.
“We lost our business and some people their homes, others died.
“I want to see us all get something back and someone take some responsibility.”
Mrs Martin's Post Office was a 'lifeline to so many' - MP
Rachael Maskell, York Central MP, said Mrs Martin came to her about the issue at the time.
“Transactions would just vanish as they were being processed and then the system said that she owed the Post Office money,” the Labour MP told The Press.
“She has been tireless in trying to get to the bottom of the matter, despite the hardship she has had to face.
"It left her no choice, but to close the Post Office in Clifton, which was such a lifeline to so many residents.”
Ms Maskell called for action to bring justice to Mrs Martin.
“It is time that Wendy, and many more in her shoes, received justice.
“Resulting from Wendy’s experience I joined the All Party Parliamentary Group for the Post Office in Parliament and took a wider interest in the plight of Sub Postmasters and Postmistresses, and am here to help provide support for any constituent who is owed compensation.”
Post Office statement
A Post Office spokesperson said it does not comment on individual cases but added the company is “acutely aware of the human cost of the scandal” and “doing all we can to right the wrongs of the past, as far as that is possible”.
“Both the Post Office and Government are committed to providing full, fair and final compensation for the people affected,” the spokesperson continued.
“To date, offers of more than £138 million have been made to around 2,700 Postmasters, the majority of which have been agreed and paid.
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“Interim payments continue to be made in other cases which have not yet been resolved.
“We fully share the aims of the current public inquiry, set up to establish what went wrong in the past and the accountability for it.”
A Department for Business and Trade spokesperson said the department does not comment on individual cases but more than £148 million of compensation has been paid across three schemes and “all those who have their Horizon convictions overturned are offered £600,000 in compensation”.
“We have made funding available to ensure all victims of the Horizon Scandal can deservedly receive compensation and have established the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry to identify what happened and ensure lessons are learnt,” they said.
Former Post Office boss giving back CBE is 'first decent thing that she's done', says scandal victim
While Mrs Martin was speaking to The Press, news broke that former Post Office boss Paula Vennells said she would hand back her CBE with immediate effect amid the fallout of the Horizon IT scandal.
“It’s the first decent thing that she’s done,” Mrs Martin said.
She urged victims of the scandal that have not spoken out to come forward.
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