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Blink, an imprint of Bonnier Books UK, has acquired Jo Hamilton’s "extraordinary" first-hand account of the Post Office scandal. Ciara Lloyd, publishing director, acquired world English-language rights to Why Are You Here, Mrs Hamilton? The Post Office, Horizon and My Fight for Justice from Kerr MacRae at Kerr MacRae LPA. The book will publish in June 2025 and will include a foreword written by Sir Alan Bates.
Jo Hamilton was one of more than 700 sub-postmasters prosecuted between 2000 and 2014 based on information from the Post Office’s faulty Horizon accounting system. Her experience saw her pushed to the very brink of her existence, and meant she had to remortgage her house, borrowing from anyone she could in order to repay money that she hadn’t taken.
Hamilton’s first-hand account follows the ITV drama, ’Mr Bates vs The Post Office’. The book will follow Hamilton’s full story and the human side of this scandal, beyond the headlines and the corridors of the High Court and the UK’s political institutions, as well as the untold struggle she faced.
Hamilton said: "This is a chance to tell my own story. One that is full of highs, lows and some truly magical moments. I hope the legacy it leaves is one of hope and it will encourage people to never ever give up."
Lloyd said: "Like the rest of the country, I’ve followed the story of the Post Office scandal with shock and horror. Jo remained at the forefront of my mind – I’m in awe of her and the other victims’ strength and fortitude; at how they’ve not only stayed strong but managed to fight and overcome against a huge miscarriage of justice. When I met Jo, I knew instantly that Bonnier was the right home for her to finally speak her truth and shine a light on the ongoing injustices. Her story of defiance will be told for years to come, and I am incredibly proud to be her publisher."
MacRae added: "Jo’s story is very important. The idea that a hard-working woman simply looking to enjoy life, supply a happy band of villagers with a cheery service and keep the wolf from her door can end up in court, being accused of a serious crime and facing prison, is the stuff of nightmares for us all. That fear and shock of seeing the state and its apparatus in action against innocent people should cut through us all. Jo’s story is a warning as well as a spotlight, and in the end is in many ways just the beginning. Jo has become a beacon for us all, the people in our communities who know what natural justice is and have clamoured hard to see it done."
Why Are You Here, Mrs Hamilton? will be published in hardback, e-book and audiobook in June 2025.