Post Office scandal victim Dawn O’Connell’s family in bitter dispute over £578k payout
Two family members of an former post office workers who died as alcoholic after misconduct is locked in a painful court dispute on paying £ 578,000.
Dawn O’Connell, a former branch manager in Northolt between 2000-2008, was hundreds of workers who were incorrectly convicted of the use of the Ufuk accounting software of the post office – a scandalous scandalously scandalously Mr. Bates and against the post office.
In August 2008, Mrs. O’Connell was sentenced to a 12 -month suspension at Harrow Crown Court on charges of five false accounting.
His conviction, then fixed to the wrong software in the accounting system, the CT scandal, the branches made it look like missing money – appeared.
However, he struggled to cope with the “stigmatization of the ordeal and experienced serious depression seizures.
Eventually he fell into alcoholism and died in September 2020 at the age of 57.
After his death, he released Mrs. O’Connell with £ 578,000 compensation package.
This has now led to a court dispute about Matthew O’Connell and his brother Mark O’Connell 61.
Matthew, as his son, is preparing to inherit his property about £ 600,000.
However, his brother fights for £ 330,000, claiming that his sister owes him when he dies and asks him to share his compensation because he helped him follow him.
Mark, a former security adviser, reached the Supreme Court last week because a judge asked Master Joanna Lampert to allow the vital case documents to continue too late.
In his appeal after O’Connell’s death in March 2021, his lawyer Ben Gordon KC revealed the destructive effect of his wrong conviction.
“As described by his family, he was increasingly isolated, ultimately he became a hedest, and desperately struggled to cope with his faith.” He said.
“He had seizures of severe depression. Treatment, drugs and counseling, but inevitably sank into alcoholism.
“In his last and last years, I understand that Mrs. O’Connell has been experimenting over and over again. In September last year, his body fell into the damage caused by constant alcohol abuse and died tragically at the age of 57.”
Mrs. O’Connell ultimately left a property worth approximately £ 600,000, consisting of almost £ 578,000 compensation paid by his post office.
Mark, who demanded a payment from the real estate, said that he had financially helping Mrs. O’Connell over the years and that they would play an important role in maintaining the claim that they were not very good to do himself.
Lawyer Erol Topal, who announced the background, said to the court: “In accordance with an agreement he reached in dawn before his death, he claims that he was slightly below the property.
“Mark supported him to make a claim for damages caused by the post office horizon – a claim that he could not follow without significant help and support.
He continued: “If he succeeded, he would share it equally with any damage and that he would pay back the other amounts he supported during the difficult sections in his life.
“If nothing has been saved, it was accepted that Dawn was not indebted, including pre -existing debts.
“As Mark claimed, if the late sister reached the agreement he claims, it makes sense to wait for it, but his sister would honor this agreement for his timeless death.
“If Mark is prevented from making his claim, (his) property – in the case of Mark – Dawn will benefit from an important wind that will not be consistent with the wishes.”
However, Mark faces a harsh obstacle before his claim should be prohibited, since his nephew said that his lawyers should be banned from continuing to continue because he missed a fixed on 16 May to file a fixed court documents.
Matthew O’Connell’s lawyer Greg Leckey argued that Mark’s legal team has made a clear statement that not to miss this date date is vital.
In order to send the documents, “obeying a open court order” failed to meet the fixed date, and there was no compelling reason for this failure.
Mark’s Barristeri, the responding, said that despite the “diligent” steps to ensure compatibility by participating in personally with the necessary documents the day before the last date, the broken deadline occurred.
“The violation took place because it could not publish the claim that day – instead of the court documents, the envelope containing the envelope in the drop box (in court) was instructed to place it.”
Authority, Mark’s claim before leaving the ground will be a serious conclusion for a “without a mistake olur, but it would be unfair to prevent his case from being heard.
“Therefore, it is important to examine and determine the claim against the property by the court.”
In addition to the payment of compensation, Mark’s claim contains the money he said he owes him when his sister dies.
The judge now reserves his decision on whether Mark’s claim could continue until a later date.
Speaking after the court hearing, Mark said that his sister’s 2007 arrest was “like a nuclear bomb”.
“Life is ejaculated from him,” he said.
“He was deeply responsible for helping everyone. Everyone loved him. But he died on the day of his arrest.”
He said that he supported his sister in the years after his wrong conviction, that he helped him financially and for alleged compensation, and that he pushed £ 18,000 after he was offered to settle.
“I was his spokesman,” he said.
He continued: “If we were successful after all the legal fees and money was paid, I told him that we would come down with money.”
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