Law firm attempts to distance itself from Post Office scandal

Cartwright King, the law firm which was bought out of administration in December 2022, has been dragged into the Post Office Horizon scandal.

Yesterday (January 11), it emerged that Cartwright King wrote a statement on behalf of Post Office investigator Stephen Bradshaw, who said he was taking instruction from the law firm, which was acting on behalf of the Post Office.

The statement, from November 2012, said: “The Post Office continues to have absolute confidence in the robustness and integrity of its Horizon system.”

Appearing before the long-running public inquiry into the Horizon IT cover-up, Bradshaw said: “I was given that statement by Cartwright King and told to put that statement through. In hindsight, there probably should have been another line stating, ‘These are not my words’.”

Cartwright King was sold out of administration just before Christmas 2022 in a deal that saved 80 jobs.

Over 700 sub-postmasters were prosecuted using data from faulty Horizon software between 2000 and 2014. Just 93 convictions have been overturned.

It operates across the UK and has seven offices, including in Birmingham, Derby, Leicester and Nottingham.

A statement from Cartwright King said: “On the 23rd of December 2022, Cartwright King Solicitors entered administration and its assets were acquired by a new company, with a completely new management team.

“None of the employees, owners or managers who were involved in advising the Post Office remain with the new company and had left Cartwright King prior to its acquisition by the new owners.

“The new owners of Cartwright King, alongside the rest of the country, horrified at the injustice caused by the Post Office prosecutions and will provide full assistance to the Inquiry to help bring those responsible to justice. This will include providing any relevant material in our possession, as well as assisting the Solicitors Regulation Authority to investigate the conduct of any solicitors involved in the prosecutions brought by the Post Office.

“We hope that following the inquiry, all those who were wrongly prosecuted will be exonerated and compensated for their loss whilst those involved in bringing the prosecutions will be brought to justice in the criminal courts.”