My husband would still be alive if he’d received Post Office compensation

Emma SimpsonBusiness correspondentJonathan Armstrong died in October earlier than receiving full compensationA sub-postmaster whose life was ruined by the Publish Workplace’s defective accounting software program has died with out receiving his full compensation.Jonathan Armstrong handed away in October from a coronary heart assault on the age of 58.His widow, Sarah, is now wanting into claiming damages towards the Publish Workplace for his loss of life, saying the “fixed cycle of stress” after being wrongly accused of stealing as a result of Horizon IT scandal took its toll on her husband’s well being.The Publish Workplace mentioned it was sincerely sorry to listen to about Mr Armstrong’s loss of life whereas the federal government mentioned it was “striving to ship justice as swiftly as doable”.Warning – this story incorporates dialogue of suicide and suicidal thoughtsSpeaking about her household’s ordeal for the primary time solely with the BBC, Sarah Armstrong mentioned: “I actually consider that if we would been paid out 5 years in the past, he would nonetheless be right here.”The household additionally revealed that Jono, as he was identified, had tried to take his personal life.It occurred on the day auditors arrived to undergo the accounts at his department in Bexhill on Sea in East Sussex in 2014.By then, the “losses” created by the defective Horizon software program had spiralled into tens of 1000’s of kilos and when Jono failed to come back house Sarah feared the worst.”We knew issues had been dangerous. We did not know the place we had been going incorrect,” she mentioned, including that the scenario felt so determined, they’d spoken about doubtlessly taking their very own lives collectively.”So once I realised he hadn’t come again, I assumed that is what he had executed.”Jono’s spouse Sarah and daughter Becky have spoken publicly for the primary time about his deathTheir daughter Becky drove to seek out Jono and by the point she arrived the emergency providers had saved him.Jono is certainly one of 10 sub-postmasters identified to have tried suicide as a result of scandal. The Publish Workplace Inquiry additionally discovered that greater than 13 could have killed themselves.Jono was sectioned and spent almost a month in hospital, adopted by six weeks in a supervised residence. The Armstrongs had moved to the UK from Zimbabwe in 2004, fleeing political unrest. A professional accountant, Jono grew to become a sub-postmaster two years later and Sarah ran the store.”It was a stunning little Publish Workplace,” recollects Sarah. “We remodeled it, quadrupling gross sales. It was very, very neighborhood based mostly.” They gained quite a few awards together with Publish Workplace Retailer in 2014.However when Jono lastly got here house he discovered his contract had been terminated and the household confronted a backlash from residents who believed he had been stealing.Sarah ArmstrongJono died simply days earlier than he and Sarah’s thirty fourth marriage ceremony anniversaryHe was “a damaged man” affected by nervousness, melancholy, hypertension and exacerbated diabetes, mentioned Sarah.She took on the function of sub-postmaster accepting the £43,000 of “losses”, to keep away from Jono being prosecuted. However she had shortfalls, too.Becky in the meantime had dropped out of college to run the store and says she fearful consistently about her dad.”When somebody has tried suicide, you do not know if they are going to do it once more… he was a shell of what he was once. He’d simply given up on life,” says Becky, now 33.In 2015, they managed to promote the enterprise and moved to Gloucestershire to be nearer to Becky’s two different siblings.Jono submitted his declare for compensation in 2000. A proposal was made two years later, nevertheless it was just below a 3rd of what he had claimed for – he rejected it.It took him an additional two years to resubmit his declare due to the time it took to collect new data, together with medical reviews. However after ready seven months, his case was transferred in April into a brand new appeals course of, the HSSA, run by the Division for Enterprise and Commerce. Jono handed away earlier than securing an consequence.”He died with out figuring out, and that is heartbreaking to us, as a result of he deserved so a lot better,” says Becky.Jono had solely acquired an interim fee from the Publish Workplace which he had used to purchase a small caravan in a vacation park close to Cirencester the place Sarah nonetheless lives.Sarah says Jono had been “obsessed’ about securing his full monetary redress not simply as vindication that he had executed nothing incorrect however to start out a brand new life together with his personal everlasting house and backyard, “someplace within the sunshine.””If he’d had that compensation, I feel he would have been OK. We would not be worrying. He wished to maneuver away from England. He felt England hadn’t been sort to him.”Unbiased Retail NewsBecky managed to finish her diploma and is now a sports activities coach. She’s additionally a part of the Misplaced Possibilities, the group shaped to marketing campaign on behalf of the grownup youngsters of affected sub-postmasters.She and her dad had chosen music for her marriage ceremony subsequent yr, together with a “daddy dance” however she misplaced him just some weeks later and now the planning has stopped.”I am heartbroken he isn’t right here to stroll me down the aisle,” she says.”He was sort, caring, humorous, actually into his music, all the time with the worst Dad jokes. However he was somebody you might all the time flip to.”Jono died simply days earlier than his thirty fourth marriage ceremony anniversary on the finish of October. Sarah blames the Publish Workplace for all the pieces that is occurred.”Now we have got to combat for what he wanted,” she says.4 days after the BBC approached the DBT for remark, the Armstrongs acquired what their solicitor described as a considerably improved provide, which they’re now contemplating.A Publish Workplace spokesperson mentioned: “Postmasters and their households have suffered years of ache. It has taken them too lengthy to clear their names and, in lots of circumstances, to obtain redress. We’re sincerely sorry to listen to about Mr Armstrong’s loss of life, and for his and his household’s experiences.”A authorities spokesperson mentioned: “We provide our honest condolences to the household of Jonathan Armstrong. We’re acutely conscious how urgent the difficulty of compensation is for thus lots of the postmasters which is why we’re striving to ship justice as swiftly as doable.”In case you, or somebody you already know, has been affected by psychological well being points BBC Motion Line has put collectively an inventory of organisations which will help.