A former postmaster wrongly imprisoned during the Horizon IT scandal has turned down £600,000 in compensation- saying it is not a "fair amount".<br /><br />Sunil Patel, 62, ran a Post Office in St Mary’s Bay, Kent, alongside the neighbouring Beachside Stores with his wife Stella.<br /><br />But in 2010, the father-of-three from Littlestone was sentenced to 15 months in prison after being wrongly accused of stealing £48,000 from the company between 2008 and 2009.<br /><br />Mr Patel was one of more than 900 sub-postmasters prosecuted for stealing due to incorrect information provided by the faulty Horizon computer system.<br /><br />After being convicted on three counts of falsifying accounts, he served nine months at HMP Elmley on the Isle of Sheppey before being let out early for good behaviour.<br /><br />Last week, Mr Patel finally received a letter from the Ministry of Justice saying his conviction had been overturned, something he describes as a “weight being lifted”.<br /><br />But he says the government’s offer of £600,000 compensation - which includes the £48,000 he was ordered to pay back - does not go far enough.<br /><br />The conviction meant Mr Patel, who now works for HM Revenue and Customs, had to sell off two of his properties to pay off the debt and pay back a business loan of £180,000.<br /><br />He said: “They are offering one-off compensation for £600,000 which includes your shortfall.<br /><br />“I was told I could take that if I wanted, but if I think it's not fair I can fight them for a fairer amount.<br /><br />“I had to go through so much suffering to pay off that £48,000.<br /><br />“After the 15 years I have suffered and the really heavy losses, it [the £600,000] doesn't compare to what would have happened if I hadn't gone through that.<br /><br />“People who didn't go to prison were offered that, and I had to go for nine months.”<br /><br />The Department of Business and Trade (DBT) has set up the redress scheme for postmasters who had their convictions overturned so they can access compensation.<br /><br />Victims have the choice of taking a fixed settlement of £600,000 or they can opt to have a fully detailed assessment if they feel the sum is unfair, something Mr Patel has chosen to do.
