A FORMER sub-postmaster from Roch who was part of the Horizon computer system scandal has finally cleared his name after an 11 year battle.

Tim Brentnall from Roach, Pembrokeshire, was one of 736 former Post Office managers who were prosecuted due to the flawed Horizon computer system.

In part of a landmark case, Mr Brentnall was one of 31 cases heard at the court of appeal on Monday (July 19) who had their convictions overturned.

The flawed system wrongly showed shortfalls in sub-postmasters’ accounts leading the prosecution of 736 sub-postmasters between 2000 and 2014.

Mr Brentnall, who took over the post office aged just 22, said it has taken 16 years to clear his name and get his conviction overturned.

After a Post Office audit at his branch in 2009, showing a £22,000 shortfall, Mr Brentnall was then prosecuted in 2010 for false accounting.

Speaking on the ordeal, Tim Brentnall said: “I was immediately suspended and within a few days taken to Haverfordwest police station for interviews,” he said.

“It was horrific. I felt totally alone and helpless.”

Despite protesting his innocence, Tim said he was told to plead guilty to the charge to lessen the sentence.

He was sentenced to an 18-month suspended prison sentence and ordered to undergo 200 hours of unpaid work.

Mr Brentnalls parents even tried to take out a loan to cover the £22,000 shortfall to prove their son’s innocence, but Tim was prosecuted shortly after.

Two years after his prosecution, Tim learned he was not alone and that many other sub-post masters also fell foul to the flawed system.

Flaws that made it seem that money was going missing from Post Office branches.

The scandal is believed to be one of the most widespread miscarriage of justice in UK history.

The Post Office confirmed they would not be contesting the appeal for Mr Bretnall overturned conviction.

An independent inquiry into the scandal has been given extra powers and many are still waiting to find out if they will receive any compensation from the ordeal.

Mr Brentnall told how he faced backlash in his small local community following the conviction and struggled to gain any further employment.

He said: “I didn’t want to go to the village pub because people were talking and saying ‘he says he hasn’t done anything, but he’s pleaded guilty, so there’s no smoke without fire’.

“I lost sleep for a number of years, lost friendships, and all because people didn’t believe what I was saying.”

His father StJohn Brentnall said: “The stigma of a conviction and the character assassination that Tim has had to bear for the last 10 years, it has been horrible to see him lose his self-confidence.

“But he stood it, he got through it and we feel very proud of him.”

Speaking after having his conviction overturned, Mr Bretnall added: “I can stand with my head held high again and say to everyone I was right – I haven’t done anything wrong and it was this system that the Post Office forced on people.”

“There’s still a fight to try to hold the people who did this to account.

“There are people who’ve known what was going on but tried to sweep it under the carpet. I don’t want to rest until people have been brought to account.”