By Laura McGuire
Business magnate and founder of the Virgin Group, Richard Branson has given away a free luxury holiday and a chance to stay on his private island to one of the most high-profile victims of the Post Office scandal.
Alan Bates, who played a crucial role in bringing the misjustice to light, is understood to have been offered first-class tickets for him and his partner, to a destination of their choice.
The offer of a lifetime came after the 69-year-old toldThe Times he would love a free holiday from the billionaire, after being quizzed about life following the ordeal.
“If Richard Branson is reading this, I’d love a holiday,” he told the outlet.
And now it appears his dreams may come true, according to a statement made by the editor of the Sun Newspaper, Kelvin MacKenzie.
Mckenzive, said on X, formally known as Twitter, he had received confirmation from Branson’s spokespeople that the owner of Virgin Atlantic would offer the holiday.
“You will remember Alan Bates said in the last line of his Sunday Times interview about his battle to bring justice to the wronged sub-postmasters,” Mckenzive wrote.
“I have just heard from his people that Branson did indeed read it and has now offered Mr Bates and his partner of 30 years Upper Class return tickets to a destination of their choice.”
It continued: “And further, he would be more than happy to put them up on Necker Island, his glorious private island in the Caribbean.”
Bates was one of the thousands of subpostmasters who was caught up in the Horizon IT scandal, a faulty computer system, which led many workers to be accused of theft.
The Englishman who ran a post office in Craig-y-Don, Llandudno, north Wales, between 1998 and 2003, was falsely accused of owing £1,000.
Bates told The Times, he refused to sign off on the faulty accounts, which would have made him liable, a move which saved him from prosecution.
However, hundreds of other victims were not so lucky, with many being prosecuted and some even taking their own lives.
Bates fought to bring justice to the issue. In 2018, he and five other victims took the Post Office to the High Court in a Group Litigation Order.
The judge ruled that Horizon contained “bugs, errors and defects,” leading to the Post Office agreeing to settle with all claimants.
The scandal has been brought back into the spotlight following the launch of a new ITV drama based on the events.
City A.M. has contacted Virgin for comment.
