Issy Hogg, the criminal defence solicitor for Subpostmasters Jo Hamilton and Seema Misra, has sadly passed away. She was 64 years old.

Issy (pronounced “Izzy”) was diagnosed with terminal cancer in March 2020, just before the first Covid lockdown. She was given six months to live – perhaps longer with some challenging treatment. Issy decided to take the treatment and live life to the fullest, documenting her “odyssey” on Facebook and in an extraordinary self-published book, Covid Cancer Craic: Coping with a death sentence through memories and laughter, which is available on Amazon.

On 26 November, Seema Misra wrote on X: “I’m deeply saddened to share that Issy Hogg, my legendary solicitor during my criminal trial, has sadly passed away today. Her dedication and support were invaluable, and she will be greatly missed but will be in our hearts always. Rest in peace, Issy.“

Issy’s funeral will be held on 18 December at Basingstoke Crematorium. If you would like to attend please note spaces are extremely limited. Contact vic.hogg@icloud.com to see if there is space available and/or to get details of the overflow site which will stream proceedings. There is a tribute page here, accepting donations to Breast Cancer Now and St Michael’s Hospice.

Issy’s place in history

Issy was essential to exposing the Post Office scandal. She was the only lawyer present at the first ever meeting of the Justice for Subpostmasters Alliance at Fenny Compton Village Hall on 8 November 2009. As a self-described “cynical criminal lawyer” she remembered the meeting by telling me:

“I know what a criminal looks like. As I listened to all those people who’d never met, and heard the similarities in their stories and what they went through, I thought, ‘These people aren’t criminals. There’s something very seriously wrong here’.”

Issy kindly agreed to take part in my first ever report on the Post Office scandal. She came into BBC Surrey at 5am on 7 Feb 2011 with Jo Hamilton and sat next to her in the studio as we discussed Jo, Seema and the other Subpostmasters’ cases (you can read a transcript of that here). Alongside Lord Arbuthnot, Issy was essential in establishing the early credibility of her clients and the stories they were telling about their experiences at the hands of the Post Office.

Today, Lord Arbuthnot said: “Issy Hogg was with Jo Hamilton the first time I met Jo, and it was quite obvious from what Issy said about the number of cases coming to her that something was badly wrong. Issy was a central part of the impetus behind the Subpostmasters’ fight. Without her input the Subpostmasters might still be protesting their innocence in vain. She stayed alongside Jo from the beginning, often coming up to London with her to go to the Inquiry. She knew what was right, and she did what was right. How very sad that she’s gone.”

Amanda Butler (née Glover) is a civil solicitor who worked with Issy and the JFSA on Subpostmaster cases. Amanda wrote to say:

”I am saddened to hear of Issy’s passing.  She was a true professional with a heart for driving through the right and just result.  I will never forget her first approach to me – ‘Amanda, something’s not right here’ – and our embarking on the first early stages of investigation. She fought corners hard, and with a passion for justice.  We rarely see the likes of Issy’s tenacity which will be missed. My thoughts are with her family and friends.”

Although I think it is fair to say Issy was not hugely comfortable in front of a microphone or camera (her natural arena, was, of course, a courtroom) she was totally committed to trying to help her clients wherever she could. She appeared in our One Show/Inside Out investigation in Dec 2014/Jan 2015, returning to Fenny Compton with a group of campaigning Subpostmasters, and she also featured in Paul Brand’s excellent 2024 documentary “Mr Bates vs the Post Office: the Drama that Shocked Britain” (Issy was played by Amy Cudden in the ITV drama). 

On 23 October this year, Issy announced she was moving into palliative care. I sent her a message acknowledging her importance to this story and she replied to say “I’ll obviously keep going for as long as I can in support of the subpostmasters.”

Former Subpostmaster Michael Rudkin paid this tribute: “You always had a smile on your face despite your illness. You always found time to stop and have a chat with fellow Subpostmasters. You have been a great support to all who know you and inspired by your love for humanity. You’ll always be remembered Issy, now it’s your time to rest as your legacy is for all to see. RIP”

I am sure Jo, the Justice For Subpostmasters Alliance and Issy’s colleagues and friends will be able to pay far greater tribute to Issy and her work than I ever could (and reading Issy’s book, you can see what a full life she lived and a force of nature she was). I just wanted to mark the passing of another significant, unsung figure (we lost Lisa Busch KC very recently) who clocked very early on that there was something rotten going on at the Post Office and tried everything possible to do something about it.