Horizon scandal postmaster who won 20-year fight for justice in new cancer battle
Rab Thomson, from Alva, finally saw the embezzlement conviction that left his life in tatters quashed last year, but was diagnosed with cancer just months later.
One of the first victims of the Horizon scandal to have their conviction overturned in Scotland is fighting a new battle after a shock cancer diagnosis.
Former postmaster Rab Thomson, from Alva, won a 20-year fight against the Post Office in January last year when the 2006 embezzlement conviction that left his life in tatters was quashed.
But just eight months after his court victory, the 66-year-old dad-of-two was dealt a new blow when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Rab, who is already leading a battle for justice for Scots postmasters and their fight for long-overdue compensation, now wants to help tackle the disease, which sees around 3500 men diagnosed in Scotland every year.
He bravely spoke to the Record about his ordeal as a major trial found cancer screening for all men over the age of 50 could slash deaths by 13 per cent - saving thousands of lives a year.
Rab said: “When my conviction was overturned last year I was on cloud nine and thought I finally had my life back on track, then this came along.
“When I heard the C word I just broke down. I thought ‘my life is finished’. No one wants to hear that word. But the doctor assured me there was a good chance it can be beaten.
“Talking about it is the first step. I didn’t want to talk about it at first. There’s a stigma. It’s a man thing.
“Now I want to help encourage more men go and see the doctor, to get the test and make sure. Because if you leave it too late, the harder it’s going to be.
“I managed to beat the Post Office and now I want to beat this.”
Rab was the fifth person in Scotland to have their post office conviction quashed after the scandal - described as the most widespread British miscarriage of justice in modern times - came to light.
False accusations were made against at least 1000 postmasters as a result of the faulty Fujitsu accounting system between 2000 and 2014.
A bombshell first report from a major public inquiry made 19 recommendations in July, while laying bare the “disastrous” toll on victims, linking it to at least 13 suicides.
Rab could have been another of those victims, as his own ordeal drove him to contemplate suicide.
The dad took over the post office in Cambus, near Alloa in Clackmannanshire, from his mother Margaret in 1999.
He was prosecuted after a 2004 audit found an apparent shortfall of £5700 and sentenced to 180 hours of community service.
He was shunned by members of his community and his mother died before he could officially clear his name.
In January last year, he wept tears of joy as his name was finally cleared in the wake of public outcry fuelled by hit TV drama Mr Bates V the Post Office.
But little did he know he was suffering from the effects of prostate cancer at the time.
He said: “I remember when I was going to the High Court I kept needing the toilet and had to keep going away.
“I thought it was just nerves because I was going through the court process but the more you think into it, it was that.
“I had probably struggled for about a year. Through the night I just couldn’t go to the toilet.
“They put five (catheter) bags in and I couldn’t pee. I got an infection.
“We went on holiday and I was in total agony. It cost me £1500 to go private and I had to go in to hsopital twice a day.
“They changed the bag and the thing was full of blood.
“When I came home that’s when they did an MRI and found my PSA (prostate-specific antige) was through the roof.
“A week later they came back and said I had cancer.”
Rab said he sank into a depression following his diagnosis but helping launch The Scottish Postmasters for Justice & Redress (SPJR) campaign group earlier this year gave him new focus.
He has also been inspired to speak out by legendry cyclist Sir Chris Hoy, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2023 after he experienced pain in his shoulder and ribs and later revealed that the condition was terminal.
Rab said: “Chris Hoy’s experience has given me something to push for. I just want to highlight the amazing things medical staff can do to fight this disease. If you catch this soon enough you can live a great life.
“I’m ok as long as it stays below my waist, but if it moves up elsewhere, it’s serious.
“My mind works overtime. You think about it all the time. I did the stupid thing of googling the worst case scenario. But my PSA has halved with the tablet I’m taking.
“The problem I have at the moment is my bladder isn’t emptying. I just have to take each day.”
Rab is now several months into his treatment but facing the prospect of an operation and gruelling chemotherapy treatment in future.
He has organised a fundraising event on December 5 in his hometown to raise awareness for Prostate Scotland, which is almost sold out.
The dad wants to appeal to businesses to help donate raffle prices to help make it a success, as well as calling on any showbiz names with experience of the disease to help back the event at Alva’s Cochrane Hall.
He hopes it will be the first of many events to help his campaign for awareness.
Meanwhile, Rab remains instrumental in the fight for justice for postmasters as he awaits the findings of the final public inquiry report - which is expected to pave the way for a string of prosecutions.
Rab said: “I might have a new fight on my hands but I’m definitely not putting my Post office battle on the back burner. I’ll fight that until the end.”