Police have announced a dramatic expansion in their investigation into the Post Office Horizon scandal, now considering the possibility of corporate manslaughter charges in what is widely regarded as the most severe miscarriage of justice in British legal history. The development, revealed on December 1, 2025, marks a significant shift in the probe, which until now had been focused primarily on offences of perjury and perverting the course of justice. The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) confirmed that their Operation Olympos team, a national unit dedicated to the case, is seeking advice from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) regarding charges of both corporate and gross negligent manslaughter.
The Horizon IT system, introduced into Post Office branches in 1999 and developed by Fujitsu, was intended to modernize accounting. Instead, it generated false shortfalls in branch accounts, triggering a cascade of wrongful prosecutions. According to BBC News, more than 900 subpostmasters and subpostmistresses were prosecuted between 1999 and 2015, with some sent to prison and others losing their livelihoods, savings, and reputations. The consequences were devastating: a July 2025 public inquiry report led by Sir Wyn Williams revealed that at least 13 individuals are believed to have taken their own lives as a result of the scandal, while 59 others contemplated suicide and 10 attempted it. The inquiry also documented bankruptcies and family breakdowns, painting a deeply disturbing picture of the human toll.
Operation Olympos, which began in 2020, has grown to unprecedented scale. The NPCC said the pool of persons of interest has now expanded to 53, up from about 45, and includes Post Office investigators, lawyers, and senior management within both the Post Office and Fujitsu. Eight individuals are currently classified as suspects, with five having been interviewed under caution. No arrests have yet been made, as police stated that their approach relies on interviews and securing material through warrants rather than immediate detention. The investigation involves combing through more than 1.5 million documents—a daunting task reflecting the enormity of the case.
Material continues to be passed to the CPS, which will ultimately decide on any criminal charges. The NPCC emphasized that "the primary and sole focus remains the offences of Perverting the Course of Justice and Perjury and this has not changed. However, as was done with fraud offences previously, advice is being sought from the CPS around the offences of Corporate and Gross Negligent manslaughter." According to Sky News, the CPS will only make a final charging decision once sufficient material has been gathered and reviewed.
The legal concept of corporate manslaughter allows companies and organizations—not just individuals—to be held criminally liable for deaths caused by serious management failings. The fact that police are considering such charges is seen by campaigners and victims as a vital step toward justice. Christopher Head, who became the UK’s youngest subpostmaster at 18 and was wrongly accused after Horizon reported an £88,000 deficit at his branch, told The Mirror, "It is an important step towards justice that those responsible for causing the harm to thousands of victims, their families and those who are sadly no longer with us are held to account. Whether those charges are for perjury, perverting the course of justice or corporate manslaughter, the Met police investigation must go wherever the evidence takes them, even if that is right to the top of the organisation, including the various internal and external legal advisors."
Labour peer Kevan Jones, a long-standing advocate for postmasters, echoed this sentiment, telling The Mirror: "It's a welcome development but individuals still need to be held accountable for their part in ruining the lives of hundreds of decent hard working people. This should now be a way of those individuals including senior figures at the Post Office and Fujitsu answering for their part in this scandal."
The Post Office itself issued an unequivocal apology, acknowledging the lasting impact of the scandal. A spokesperson told The Independent, "We would like to reiterate an unequivocal apology to every single person impacted by the Horizon Scandal. We recognise that, for some, the impact of their experiences has lasted over two decades and continues to this day. We continue to fully support the Police’s investigations and engage transparently with their requests."
For many victims, the fight for justice has been long and bitter. Campaigner Sir Alan Bates, who led 555 subpostmasters to a landmark High Court victory in 2019, has consistently pressed for those responsible to face prosecution. That 2019 ruling found the Horizon system was indeed at fault for creating accounting discrepancies, leading to the overturning of convictions for 39 subpostmasters and a multi-million-pound compensation settlement. The story gained new national prominence after ITV aired the drama Mr Bates Vs The Post Office, further fueling public outrage and calls for accountability.
Police have also appealed to former subpostmasters who may have signed non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) with the Post Office to come forward, assuring them that these NDAs will no longer be enforced. This move is intended to encourage more victims to speak freely with investigators, potentially unearthing further evidence of wrongdoing.
The scale of the investigation is, by all accounts, extraordinary. As The Independent reported, police described their efforts as "unprecedented," with potentially over 3,000 victims and millions of documents to examine. The process of providing case file material to the CPS is ongoing, and criminal trials related to the investigation are not expected to begin before 2027 or 2028. The NPCC has cautioned that it may be years before justice is fully served, but for the many whose lives were upended by Horizon’s failings, each step forward is a glimmer of hope.
Sir Wyn Williams, chair of the public inquiry, published the first part of his final report in July 2025, with a second volume due in 2026. His findings highlighted not only the technical failures of the Horizon system but also the "profoundly disturbing" consequences for those wrongly accused. He wrote, "The picture which has emerged is profoundly disturbing," pointing to the wreckage of marriages, families, and financial lives.
As the investigation widens and the possibility of landmark corporate manslaughter charges looms, the Post Office Horizon scandal remains a cautionary tale of technological failure, institutional denial, and the relentless pursuit of justice. The victims—and the country—now wait to see if those responsible will finally be held to account.
