I THANK the Hereford Times for the article ‘Couple fight David and Goliath battle against financial regulator’ and am appalled by the unjust misery a Herefordshire couple have been put through.

Alistair and Terry Hinton are trying to encourage the Government to remove the statutory immunity from damages claims it gives to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

This comes after they were wrongly listed as directors of a censured firm which led to them being forced to sell their business.

They wanted to sue the FCA for the error but found it had Government immunity.

Nobody expects the FCA to be perfect, but anyone with a modicum of decency would jump at correcting any mistakes and rectifying any damage done.

Strangely, not only has the FCA (and its forerunner FSA) not shown any inclination to even acknowledge they made a mistake, amazingly, a law is in place that actually forbids any judge to award damages.

The consequences for the Hintons have been devastating, robbing them of a lovingly run firm, destroying their livelihood and annihilating their financial security.

All this is, of course, in flagrant opposition to the Declaration of Human Rights which the UK has signed up to.

For the Hintons, I most heartily do hope that the heading of the article will become truth soon, in that the Goliath-deluded FCA will be brought down by the righteous David!

GIJS van der MEIJDEN Nieuwaal The Netherlands