In the quiet village of West Byfleet, Surrey, a tragedy unfolded—one that would shake the foundations of trust, justice, and technology in Britain. At the centre of this storm stood Seema Misra OBE, a woman of integrity, resilience, and astonishing strength. Wrongfully accused and sent to prison while eight weeks pregnant, she would go on to become a symbol of courage in the fight against one of the biggest miscarriages of justice in UK legal history—the British Post Office scandal.
Seema Misra: From New Delhi to West Byfleet – A Dream-Turned Nightmare
Seema Misra and her husband, Davinder, began their journey in New Delhi, India. Chasing a better life, they moved to the UK in 1999 and eventually bought a village shop and post office in West Byfleet in 2005. With hope in her heart and dreams of building a peaceful life, Seema underwent a two-week training and stepped into her new role as a subpostmaster.
But right from the beginning, she noticed something was wrong. The Horizon accounting software, on which the entire Post Office financial system relied, was showing discrepancies that didn’t make sense. Even under supervision during her training week, the figures didn’t tally. The response she received? “Put in your own money to balance it out.” And she did—trusting the system, trusting the institution.
The Weight of a Broken System
With each passing month, the shortfalls grew. Despite frequent calls to her area manager and the Horizon helpline, the errors continued. Seema, now deeply worried and suspecting internal theft, borrowed from family to plug the ever-growing holes. In January 2008, an audit uncovered a supposed shortfall of £79,000, and she was suspended. By November, she was charged with theft and falsification of accounts.
Seema Misra had never stolen a single penny.
Seema Misra: The Trial That Should Never Have Happened
Her trial in October 2010 was cruel and relentless. Despite there being no trace of the missing money in her home or bank accounts, the prosecution pressed on. On 11 November 2010—her son’s tenth birthday—Seema was sentenced to 15 months in prison for a theft she never committed. She was eight weeks pregnant. Shackled by shame and fear, she was sent to Bronzefield prison. She would later give birth to her child while wearing an electronic tag.
What she didn’t know then was that she was not alone. Across the country, hundreds of other subpostmasters were facing similar fates, victims of Horizon’s catastrophic faults.
Finding Strength, Building a Movement
Emerging from prison, Seema Misra didn’t break. She rose. She became a beacon for justice, joining forces with other victims in the Justice for Subpostmasters Alliance (JFSA). Spearheaded by Alan Bates, the group brought the infamous Bates & Others v Post Office Ltd lawsuit to the High Court. The fight was fierce, and although the claimants received a fraction of what they were owed, the lawsuit uncovered the truth: the Horizon software was flawed, and the Post Office had known.
Seema’s criminal conviction was finally quashed in April 2021. The Court of Appeal did more than clear her name—it called her prosecution an “affront to justice.”
More Than Compensation: A Demand for Accountability
For Seema Misra OBE, it was never just about clearing her name. It was about speaking for the voiceless, demanding accountability from those who had hidden the truth, and ensuring this never happens again.
Her testimony at the Horizon IT Inquiry in February 2022 was powerful and raw. She spoke not just of figures and files, but of nights crying behind bars, of her children’s pain, and the heavy silence of those who could have helped but didn’t.
In 2023, when the prosecuting barrister in her trial, Warwick Tatford, finally apologized, Seema accepted it with grace. “He’s the only person from the Post Office to apologise directly to me,” she said.
But in April 2024, when Post Office executive David Smith’s past email came to light—celebrating her conviction as “brilliant news”—Seema stood her ground. “Apologise to my sons,” she told him. Her pain was not just personal; it was generational.
Honoured But Not Done
In the 2024 New Year Honours, Seema Misra was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). It was a poignant and powerful moment. She accepted the honour not as closure, but as a call to continue fighting. “The scandal isn’t over,” she said. “This recognition reminds me—and everyone else—that justice must still be done.”
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