The husband of a Post Office branch manager left with a criminal record has said it would "mean the world to" his late wife if her name is cleared after her tragic death.
More than 700 Post Office branch managers around the UK were prosecuted between 1999 and 2015 after the Post Officer's faulty Horizon accounting software made it look as though money was missing from their shops.
Caren Lorimer worked in a branch in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, for 17 years before a 2008 audit of the Post Office's doomed Horizon computing system suggested there was a £38,000 shortfall.
She was left with a conviction for embezzlement after pleading guilty at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court in 2009 to one charge of embezzlement and was handed a community service order requiring 300 hours of unpaid work.
A compensation order for £15,000 was also made, but she was diagnosed with cancer in November 2021 and died four months later. In 2022, the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission (SCCRC) received an application to review her conviction.
During a brief hearing at the Court of Session in Edinburgh today, Lord Justice Clerk Lady Dorrian fixed an appeal date for June 14 "unless matters are resolved prior to that".
Speaking after the hearing, Lorimer's widower David, 62, said it would mean "the world" for her name to be cleared. He said: "It's been so difficult living with it, still trying to do your own thing, face your friends. It's always in the background.
"I wish Caren had known how many people were involved, because she thought she was the only one." Lorimer's niece Joanne Hughes, 47, said her aunt would be proud of what is now being done to clear her name.
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She added: "It should all have been dealt with a lot sooner." The SCCRC referred Lorimer's conviction to the High Court for determination as it concluded she pled guilty in circumstances that were, or could be said to be, clearly prejudicial to her.
It also concluded Horizon evidence was essential to the proof of the accounting shortfall that led to the charge being brought against Lorimer, and that the prosecution was oppressive because the process was an affront to justice.
Michael Walker, the commission's chief executive, said: "Subpostmasters are still coming forward to tell us that they have suffered a miscarriage of justice. We encourage anyone who hasn't yet done so to get in touch.
"If the person affected has died, we will accept applications from next of kin. Our service is free and easy to use. You don't need a solicitor.
"If you believe that you or a close family member might have suffered a miscarriage of justice as a result of Horizon, our staff would be pleased to talk you through the application process."
Around 100 subpostmasters in Scotland were convicted after they were wrongly accused of embezzling money in the Horizon scandal and First Minister Humza Yousaf has pledged to get "justice" for those involved.
Many around the UK have had their convictions overturned in recent years. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said legislation will be introduced to exonerate subpostmasters convicted in England and Wale.
He has also vowed to get "justice and compensation" for victims. The Scottish Government is working on its own legislation to exonerate those wrongly convicted.
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