Thomas Tobierre and his wife, Caroline (Source: BBC)
…Apologised to his family
After the government improperly handled damages owed to him under the Windrush Compensation Scheme, a man was paid £25,000, according to the BBC.
Arriving in the UK in 1960, Thomas Tobierre was refused the ability to work because of his lack of documents, so he was obliged to cash in his £14,000 pension.
The 71-year-old from Chelmsford, Essex, made an appeal to the Windrush initiative to get his money back for keeping him afloat, but it was denied.
The Home Office stated that it was dedicated to operating the scheme “effectively,” despite the fact that Parliamentary Ombudsman found that it was “confusing and inconsistent” in its operation.
Its decision to exclude private pension losses from claims has been under review by officials, which could result in more compensation for others.
Arriving in the UK from Saint Lucia at the age of seven, Mr. Tobierre married British national Caroline in 1975.
He was laid off in June 2017 after more than 40 years of employment, but when he applied for another job, he was unable to provide proof that he could live and work in the UK.
Living off of his savings and the money in his private pension was his only option. Mr. Tobierre was given his UK job rights when the Windrush scandal surfaced, and he resumed working in 2018.
According to an investigation, he was underpaid since his pension withdrawal was not taken into consideration, even though he received compensation from the Windrush Compensation Scheme in 2021 for losing his job.
Regarding the Home Office, the Parliamentary Ombudsman found that “its decision-making and communication about its pensions approach was confusing and inconsistent.”
Following the publication of the findings, the Home Office agreed to compensate Mr. Tobierre with £25,000, according to the Ombudsman.
Charlotte, Mr. Tobierre’s 40-year-old daughter, who was impacted by a claim filed by her mother, was also covered by that compensation.
In August 2021, Caroline Tobierre was informed she had months to live and filed for compensation to aid with her funeral expenses.
Before she passed away in November of that year, her family fought her claim for the last few months of her life, but it finally failed.
According to the Ombudsman, the issue had been handled “insensitively,” which “compounded the family’s distress.”
“It was exhausting. We were absolutely consumed by it, and that overshadowed my mum’s cancer journey.
“I felt sad afterwards thinking we wasted so much time talking about Windrush, and we missed spending precious time together,” Charlotte Tobierre asserted.
The Ombudsman advised the Home Office to examine excluding pension loss, evaluate its complaint handling procedures, and provide an apology to the family.
The Windrush Compensation Scheme had paid out £115 million for 3,435 claims as of the end of July 2025.
“This government is delivering on its commitment to ensure Windrush victims’ voices are heard, justice is sped up, and the compensation scheme is run effectively.
“We have accepted all of the ombudsman’s recommendations and have apologised to the Tobierre family,” said a Home Office spokesman.
