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28/04/2009
Lockerbie Bomber To Launch Fresh Appeal
Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset Ali Mohamed Al Megrahi is to begin a second appeal against his conviction for blowing up a Pan Am flight 21 years ago.
An appeal hearing is to begin in Edinburgh almost two years after the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission (SCCRC) referred the case of the Libyan to the appeal court.
The 57-year-old's lawyers said judges at his trial heard insufficient evidence to convict him beyond reasonable doubt.
The Commission had rejected some of the argument's put forward by Megrahi's defence team. However, it added that there were grounds - some of which were put forward by the defence team, some arising from its own investigations - where it believed a miscarriage of justice may have occurred.
Megrahi is currently held in Greenock Prison, where he was diagnosed as suffering from terminal prostate cancer.
He has already lost one appeal, heard in a special Scottish curt in the Netherlands, one year after his conviction in January 2001.
A second appeal was ordered in 2007 by the SCCRC, following a four-year investigation, which found his conviction "may be unsafe".
Megrahi will attend the hearing, but will instead follow the proceedings by a closed circuit television link between the court and Greenock Prison.
He was convicted of carrying out the atrocity in which Flight 103 from Heathrow to New York was blown out of the sky in December 1998, with the loss of 270 lives.
(JM/BMcC)
An appeal hearing is to begin in Edinburgh almost two years after the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission (SCCRC) referred the case of the Libyan to the appeal court.
The 57-year-old's lawyers said judges at his trial heard insufficient evidence to convict him beyond reasonable doubt.
The Commission had rejected some of the argument's put forward by Megrahi's defence team. However, it added that there were grounds - some of which were put forward by the defence team, some arising from its own investigations - where it believed a miscarriage of justice may have occurred.
Megrahi is currently held in Greenock Prison, where he was diagnosed as suffering from terminal prostate cancer.
He has already lost one appeal, heard in a special Scottish curt in the Netherlands, one year after his conviction in January 2001.
A second appeal was ordered in 2007 by the SCCRC, following a four-year investigation, which found his conviction "may be unsafe".
Megrahi will attend the hearing, but will instead follow the proceedings by a closed circuit television link between the court and Greenock Prison.
He was convicted of carrying out the atrocity in which Flight 103 from Heathrow to New York was blown out of the sky in December 1998, with the loss of 270 lives.
(JM/BMcC)
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Following reports that Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrahi is in the advanced stages of cancer, SNP MSP Alex Neil has stressed the importance of holding a "timeous" appeal trial. Mr Neil has called on the Crown Office to bring forward the trial of the Libyan intelligence agent and to ensure no further delays take place.
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Benefit Cheats Face Up To 10 Years In Jail
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Women's behaviour ‘blamed’ for rapes
A third of those polled in the UK believe that a woman is partially or totally responsible for being raped if she behaves flirtatiously, a survey has suggested.
Women's behaviour ‘blamed’ for rapes
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Northern Ireland WeatherToday:A showery start with outbreaks most frequent north of Lough Neagh and through the morning, before dwindling during the afternoon as the northwest breezes ease and brighter spells of weak sunshine prosper. Maximum temperature 8 °C.Tonight:A dry night, save for a few light showers around the coasts, with prolonged clear spells and light winds bringing a frosty dawn for many in central and southern parts. Minimum temperature -3 °C.
