Lawyers for a former sub-postmaster serving a life sentence for murdering his wife are making another attempt to appeal against his conviction.

Robin Garbutt’s legal team is arguing the Post Office Inquiry following the Horizon accounting software scandal sheds new light on his case.

He was found guilty by a jury in 2011 of killing his wife at their North Yorkshire home a year earlier but has always protested his innocence.

The Northern Echo: Robin GarbuttRobin Garbutt

Prosecutors said he had been stealing money from his branch, faked a robbery and murdered Diana as part of the cover-up, using evidence from the discredited IT system to prove their case.

Diana’s mother has previously said she believes her son-in-law is guilty but former Post Office Minister Kevin Hollinrake, the MP for Thirsk and Malton, said he was backing the latest bid.

Mr Hollinrake, who went to the same school as Garbutt, said that is not why he is backing a case review.

He told the BBC: "I can’t speculate whether Robin Garbutt is guilty or innocent, but I think we all want to make sure that people when they go through the justice system get a fair hearing.”

Garbutt's wife Diana, who was beaten over the head with a metal bar, was found dead in their flat above the post office they ran in Melsonby.

The Northern Echo: Diana Garbutt 40, whose husband, Robin Garbutt was convicted at Teesside Crown Court of her murder at the post office they ran in Melsonby, North YorkshireDiana Garbutt 40, whose husband, Robin Garbutt was convicted at Teesside Crown Court of her murder at the post office they ran in Melsonby, North Yorkshire

Garbutt told police a man forced him to open his Post Office safe at gunpoint and hand over £16,000 before he ran upstairs where he discovered Diana's body.

There was no physical evidence linking him to the murder but the jury did not believe him.

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His legal team raised the lack of knowledge about the Horizon system three years ago but the application was dismissed because it was decided flaws in Horizon did not affect the reliability of the data used by the prosecution at his trial.

Hundreds of sub-postmasters who were wrongly prosecuted have been exonerated after errors with the software were revealed.

Garbutt's lawyers have applied to the Criminal Cases Review Commission to have his case sent back to the Court of Appeal.

His solicitor, Martin Rackstraw from the law firm Russell-Cooke, said: “We believe that fresh evidence and other important developments that have come to light since the original trial, now mean that Mr Garbutt’s conviction is not safe.”

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Garbutt's friend and former neighbour, Barry Conachy, told the BBC said: “We’ve never doubted his innocence and we’re all really hoping this is the one that gives him a breakthrough.

“Robin’s always said that he wasn’t stealing any money from the Post Office.

“I think this is the final roll of the dice.”