Naman Shrestha
PBS’ ‘Mr Bates vs The Post Office’ is a biographical drama series that presents a dramatized account of the controversial Post Office scandal led by Alan Bates. As Alan founded the Justice For Subpostmaster Alliance, it brought together hundreds of subpostmasters who were falsely accused of fraud or affected in some ways due to the Horizon controversy. One of the subpostmasters that the show focuses on is Saman Kaur, while her husband, Jas Singh, supports him. Owing to the focus laid on Jess through the character of Saman, questions about her whereabouts and well-being are naturally raised. So, find out who is she is in real life and what happened to her.
Saman Kaur’s Real Name is Jess Kaur
Jess Kaur, whose character is Saman Kaur in ‘Mr Bates vs The Post Office,’ was one of the many subpostmasters affected quite significantly because of the convictions she faced related to Horizon’s faults. Before the entire debacle went down, she used to run Lazy Hill Post Office in Aldridge in Walsall, where she fell victim to the faulty mechanics of the Horizon machine. She was then wrongfully accused of stealing £11,000 from the West Midlands branch she operated, leading to a significant decline in her mental health.
According to the show, Jess maintained her innocence in front of the police but she was told that she was the only one dealing with this issue, only to find out that it was hundreds of other subpostmasters going through something similar. Facing some serious legal threats, Jess reportedly joined the Justice for Subpostmasters Alliance and became an active member of the alliance alongside her husband, Jasgun Singh. However, the case took a toll on her, so much so that she went through some serious mental health issues. Her case dragged on for about three years, during which she reportedly resorted to self-harm while she was alone at her home. After that, she was admitted to a local hospital for six months in 2011.
When even the antidepressants failed to work, she had to be treated with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), which worked successfully but came with some serious repercussions — childhood memory loss. Soon, she attempted suicide at the hospital yet again as she and her family regretted the decision of ECT. After three long and tough years, Jess Kaur was cleared of all her false accusations, but she did not feel elated as the mental torture she went through during that period still affected her immensely.
Jess Kaur Continues to Deal With PTSD
Although several years have passed after the traumatic debacle, Jess Kaur reportedly still is on a lot of medication and deals with PTSD. In January 2024, she made an appearance on ‘Good Morning Britain’ and talked about her experience with Susanna Reid and Richard Madeley. She elaborated on the reports that suggested people resorted to spitting on the floor of her shop when they read about her alleged fraud. Recollecting those times, she stated, “They spat on the floor, they threw newspapers on the floor, they smashed my car windows.”
When Jess was asked about her hospitalization after her suicide attempt at the time, she got too emotional and tried to look away from the cameras and presenters. After that, the presenters supported her and tried to console her as Susanna said, “Jess, you honestly show such strength by speaking out and I can imagine your family’s so proud of you for doing that, and the community as well will know the truth. I find it unforgivable, unacceptable that the Post Office has not apologized to you personally that they put you through this. It is absolutely – I would say – criminally irresponsible.”
Around the same month, Jess was also interviewed by Harjap Bhangal. All the 36 charges of theft against her were overturned when the truth about her faulty pin pad came out in the open. However, as per reports, she has still not received any compensation whatsoever for the mental stress that the false allegations against her caused her and her family.
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