Lockerbie bomber loses freedom bid

THE Lockerbie bomber remained behind bars yesterday after losing his attempt to be freed from jail.

Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi applied for interim release from jail pending the outcome of an appeal against conviction.

But judges at the Court of Criminal Appeal in Edinburgh, Scotland, rejected the application from his defence team.

It was disclosed last month that the 56-year-old former Libyan intelligence agent had been diagnosed with prostate cancer and that the disease had spread to other parts of his body.

Yesterday, the father of one of the Lockerbie victims said it was difficult to see the justification for the decision to refuse bail.

Al Megrahi, who has consistently denied any involvement in the bombing, said he was “very distressed” by the ruling and vowed his fight to clear his name would continue.

The Libyan is serving a life sentence with a minimum term of 27 years for the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 in 1988, which killed 270 people.

He lost an appeal in 2002 but was given a fresh chance to clear his name in June last year when the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission referred his case back to appeal judges for a second time.

His second appeal is due to be heard next year.

Yesterday’s judgment was delivered by Lord Justice General Lord Hamilton along with Lord Kingarth and Lord Wheatley.