Indian-Origin Woman Seema Misra Wrongly Jailed in UK: “I Was 8-Week Pregnant

Seema Misra, now 47, had her conviction quashed in April 2021. The Court of Appeal ruled that she had been wrongly imprisoned over 12 years ago after being accused of stealing GBP 75,000 from her Post Office branch in Surrey where she was the sub-postmistress. During Thursday’s hearings for the Post Office Horizon IT inquiry in London, former Post Office Managing Director David Smith apologized for a congratulatory email he sent after Ms Misra’s conviction. He expressed regret for the email’s potential to cause substantial distress to Seema Misra and her family and for the insensitivity it conveyed, particularly given her pregnancy at the time.

Ms Misra rejected Mr. Smith’s apology, emphasizing the impact of her wrongful conviction on herself and her family, especially during her pregnancy and subsequent incarceration. She expressed skepticism about the timing of the apology, suggesting that it was motivated by the upcoming public inquiry. Ms Misra was sent to Bronzefield prison in south-east England and served four-and-a-half months, later giving birth to her second son while wearing an electronic tag. Mr. Smith’s testimony at the inquiry revealed that Ms Misra had been used as a “test case,” leading to increased confidence in the faulty Horizon IT accounting system.

This revelation upset and angered Ms Misra, who expressed frustration at being used as a test case and the impact it had on her life. The UK government, which owns Post Office Ltd, has paid compensation to hundreds of sub-postmasters, many of Indian heritage, impacted by the faulty Horizon software. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has promised action in the historic scandal, culminating in the introduction of the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Bill to quash convictions brought about by erroneous Horizon evidence. A public inquiry into the case is ongoing and is expected to conclude in July.

The Horizon system, developed by the Japanese company Fujitsu, has been the subject of controversy and scrutiny, with its impact on individuals and the broader justice system under investigation.