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By Adele Robinson, Business Correspondent

The Post Office scandal extends “well beyond” faulty Horizon software, a lawyer for victims has said.

Paul Marshall, representing former sub-postmasters, said problems with third-party systems in branches, such as ATMs, had been “overlooked”.

A 2013 report commissioned by the Post Office, which was not made public at the time, states: “Removing the ATM reduces the risk of (the sub-postmaster) being suspended… as does the presence of lottery tickets, (banking) services and DVLA processing.”

It indicates that the Post Office was aware of problems with third-party systems within branches – separate from the Horizon software.

Lawyer Paul Marshall believes that as a result there have been “no convictions” imposed by the Post Office against any sub-postmaster “who could or should properly be treated as safe”.

He says evidence of third-party bugs, such as with ATMs, shows that “the scandal extends significantly beyond, well beyond, you might say, the narrow focus of bugs in Horizon.”

The blanket exemption legislation introduced this summer will only overturn convictions arising from “erroneous Horizon evidence.”

Mr Marshall claims that postal workers who appealed convictions thrown out by the Court of Appeal may have lost because their offenses did not fall within the “narrow scope” of the Horizon issues.

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