Liberal Democrat MP Richard Foord has apologised for using the name of a deceased victim of the Post Office Horizon scandal in Parliament without asking his family.

Former Ottery St Mary sub-postmaster Russell Ward-Best resigned in 2001 after an audit found an apparent loss at his branch of £17,000.

He would later be declared bankrupt, and he died in 2016.  

Mr Ward-Best was posthumously cleared of any wrongdoing last year after confirmation the Ottery post office had been affected by the faulty Horizon accounting software.

The Post Office’s Historical Shortfall Scheme has since paid off his debts and his bankruptcy is to be removed from public record.

Tiverton and Honiton MP Richard Foord told the House of Commons earlier this month: “Russell Ward-Best from Ottery St Mary was accused of stealing £17,000.

“He avoided prosecution by resigning, and another sub-postmaster I represent paid the alleged shortfall to avoid prosecution.

“Russell Ward-Best was declared bankrupt and died before he was found innocent and cleared.

“Will the minister comment on financial redress for all sub-postmasters and their families, including those who were not prosecuted?” 

Midweek Herald: Former sub-postmaster Russell Ward-Best.Former sub-postmaster Russell Ward-Best. (Image: Family photo)

Mr Ward-Best’s son Lydon said he was taken “completely by surprise” when he saw Mr Foord’s question on BBC Spotlight, and called for him to apologise for causing the family “more stress and hurt at an already difficult time”.

He said: “We are very upset that this was brought up without even consulting us.

“Not only are we not in his constituency, my dad was a lifelong Conservative voter.

“His question in Parliament shows that he had no idea about the situation and was just using the situation for attention.”

Mr Foord is the Lib Dem candidate for the new Honiton and Sidmouth seat, which includes Ottery St Mary, which is outside his current Tiverton and Honiton constituency.

He said: “I am sorry for the upset caused to the family by my shining a spotlight on their case. I can only imagine the pain they have endured because of the Horizon scandal, and the word ‘injustice’ doesn’t even come close to expressing what they have endured.

“I raised the legacy of Horizon in parliament last year on behalf of one of my constituents who is still battling for compensation – long before the significant attention generated by the recent ITV documentary.

“The Ward-Best case was reported in the local media recently. Given the uncertainty about the compensation for cases in which sub-postmasters avoided prosecution by resigning, I raised their – and one other case – in parliament to ensure people in these scenarios are not forgotten.

“Hundreds of families across the country have been plunged into turmoil because of a shocking Post Office cover-up. It’s important that we see everyone affected to get the compensation they deserve, including victims’ families.

“As an MP, I consider it my duty to speak up for all those affected and will not stop fighting until justice is finally done.”

Mr Foord also phoned Lydon Ward-Best to apologise.

Rival candidate for the same seat Simon Jupp, who is currently Tory MP for East Devon, said: “I have spoken with the family who are constituents of mine.  

“They’ve had a difficult few weeks and deserve so much better.

“Mr Foord never showed the family any courtesy when he used their name in Parliament for his own political ends.

“To add insult to injury, he ignored the family’s request to remove the video of his question in Parliament from social media, choosing instead to hide the family’s message on Facebook from public view, and he still hasn’t deleted it, even now.

“It is a shame that Mr Foord has only apologised when the family spoke to the press as a last resort. We should all expect better from a member of parliament.”

The Post Office Horizon scandal has seen hundreds prosecuted and more wrongly accused over its faulty accounting software.