A former postmaster from Orpington says he “contemplated suicide” after being wrongly accused of theft and sent to prison after one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in British legal history.

Parmod Kalia spoke with ITV News and BBC Radio London about his six-month jail term, after being falsely accused of stealing £22,000.

From 1999 to 2015, over 700 Post Office managers faced convictions due to flawed software, Horizon, leading to fraud and theft charges.

Parmod was accused of theft and taken to court, and later served a six-month prison sentence.

Parmod told the BBC: “I have gone through anxiety, depression, stress, attempted suicide.

“My marriage almost broke up and the children mistrusted me – they were a very young at the age at that time.

“They actually asked me, ‘dad did you take the money?’ I had no answer for them.

“I ended up in prison it was a first-time experience for me.

“Originally, I was in High Down prison for two weeks where there were just two bunk beds per room.

“After, I was transferred to Ford Open prison.”

He added to ITV News: “I didn’t blame the computer system because I didn’t think it was the computer system.

“But I just said no, I didn’t know what had happened to it.”

According to the BBC, the issues were down to wrong information caused by a faulty computer system.

It comes after the latest ITV drama, MR Bates vs The Post Office, which follows the story of innocent sub-postmasters and postmistresses who were wrongly accused of theft, fraud, and false accounting due to the faulty IT system.

Parmod said that he is taking things “day by day”, but compensation won't bring back “more than 20 years of suffering.”

He told ITV News: “When we watched the drama together, my daughter apologised to me and said, ‘sorry we doubted you’.

“I did say to her she didn’t need to apologise, it wasn’t her wrongdoing, but thank you anyway.

“Now they believe I didn’t take the money; I am not a thief.”

An ongoing independent public inquiry deems it one of the UK's "worst miscarriages of justice."

Despite this, no one has faced accountability yet.

Parmod, along with numerous others, continues the fight for compensation.

The Samaritans offers free and confidential emotional support to anyone in the UK - the helpline can be reached on 116 123.