Lee Castleford, 56, from Bridlington, went bankrupt in 2004 after being sued by the Post Office over claims that there was a £25,000 shortfall at his branch which he could not account for.
“People screamed ‘thief’ in the street at myself and my family, my daughter was spat at,” he said. “It’s so much of a fall from grace really and it’s very difficult to take.”
Mr Castleford was made an OBE by Princess Anne at Windsor Castle on Wednesday (April 16).
“As a postmaster when things are going well it’s wonderful and it’s very warmly received,” he said. “But when things go wrong and you are suddenly cast out as it becomes very difficult, life becomes very, very difficult.”
Mr Castleton, who was portrayed in ITV drama Mr Bates vs the Post Office by actor Will Mellor, launched a civil action against Fujitsu and the Post Office in March, alleging that they failed to disclose flaws in their software.
Recommended reading:
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- ‘It brought it all back’ – ex-subpostmistress on TV Post Office scandal drama
- Faulty IT stress 'nearly killed me’ - says former subpostmistress Wendy Martin
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