A sub-postmaster, Jonathan Armstrong, passed away in October without receiving the full compensation owed due to the Post Office's faulty accounting software. At 58, Jonathan died from a heart attack. His widow, Sarah Armstrong, is now pursuing legal action against the Post Office, arguing that the "constant cycle of stress" from wrongful theft accusations linked to the Horizon IT scandal affected her husband's health critically.
The Post Office expressed sincere condolences over Jonathan's passing, while government officials stated they are "striving to deliver justice as swiftly as possible."
Warning: This story involves themes of suicide and suicidal thoughts.
In an exclusive discussion with the BBC about their family's challenges, Sarah Armstrong said, "I truly believe that if we'd been paid out five years ago, he would still be here." Their family disclosed an incident where Jonathan, known affectionately as Jono, attempted suicide when auditors came to review his branch's accounts in Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex, in 2014. By then, the Horizon software's errors had led to significant financial "losses," and when Jonathan was unaccounted for, Sarah's fears grew.
"We knew things were bad. We didn't know where we were going wrong," Sarah reflected, noting how desperate the situation felt, even discussing contemplating suicide together. "So when I realized he hadn't come back, I thought that's what he had done."
Their daughter, Becky, located Jonathan, and emergency services managed to save him. The Armstrong family is not alone in this ordeal, with ten known cases of sub-postmasters attempting suicide over the issue, and more than thirteen possibly taking their own lives, according to the Post Office Inquiry.
After being sectioned, Jonathan spent close to a month in the hospital and six weeks in supervised care.
The Armstrongs relocated to the UK from Zimbabwe in 2004, escaping political turbulence. Jonathan, an accountant, became a sub-postmaster two years later, with Sarah managing the store. "It was a lovely little Post Office," Sarah recalled, "We transformed it, quadrupling sales. It was very community-based." They received several accolades, including the Post Office Retailer award in 2014.
However, after returning home, Jonathan discovered his contract had been terminated, facing backlash from the community thinking he was guilty of theft. "He was a broken man" suffering from anxiety, depression, hypertension, and aggravated diabetes, shared Sarah. Taking over as the sub-postmaster, Sarah accepted £43,000 in "losses" to protect Jonathan from prosecution, but she too faced shortfalls. Becky, having left university to manage the shop, constantly worried about her father. "When someone has attempted suicide, you don't know if they're going to do it again... he was a shell of what he used to be. He'd just given up on life," noted Becky, now 33.
In 2015, they sold the business, relocating to Gloucestershire to be nearer to Becky's siblings. Jonathan filed his compensation claim, and an offer was proposed two years later, covering only a third of what he claimed, prompting rejection. It took two more years to refile with new supporting evidence like medical reports. Awaiting a resolution, his case was moved to the HSSA, under the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), in April. Tragically, Jonathan passed away without seeing the outcome.