Diesel

Compassion is an advanced and highly civilised trait in any society. I however think it was totally wrong to send this mass murderer back home, free as a bird.

I hear Obama aint best pleased either. Anyone think it was the right thing to do or has there there been any justification/explanation given?

They could at least have done it using a military plane, low key...out of respect for the dead and their relatives.

D

Janspeed

iTrader: (1)

Thought this would be the result, shame really.

Again not the only one involved, BUT they could have treated him properly and then not be in this position of sending him off.

Zod.

This has fcuked me right off.

His release has certainly incited anger in most. Possibly some sort of political deal between Brown and Gadaffi? They've made a mockery of justice yet again. The country is in ruins!

But what the hell do I know. I'm not the one guaranteed 50 virgins on the other side.

Trout

iTrader: (1)

Which one is more just? Vengeance or mercy?

Which one civilised us more? Vengeance or mercy?

Sometimes growing up is a really hard thing to do.

delcbr

should of let John smeaton at him he dont like terorists lol

MJW

Whatever next ? Obama apologising for shooting down Flight 655 ?

David Lock

The correct decision IMHO.

An excellent explanatory speech given by the Scottish Minister for Justice. Sod the heartless Americans.

I agree there were a lot of politics behind the scenes but he probably wasn't guilty anyway.

dl

Zod.

A question for you then, David. If a member of your family was killed that day, would you still conclude that his release was correct?

Janspeed

iTrader: (1)

Yeah that would turn everything upside down............

belliott69

iTrader: (3)

boils my blood to hear that this fu***ng c**t is allowed into society, he killed innocent people and gets compassion. if the right thing was done in the first place he wouldn't have to worry, hung, drawn and quatered sounds just about right.

WRX300MAN

seems like the trial was a bit of a farce . .

Pan Am 103: Lockerbie Verdict 'Astonishing'

bugeyeandy

This man was found guilty in a court of law and regardless of any failings of that court is still legally a guilty man.
That he was released after such a short time for such a shocking crime beggars belief, the fact that he has a terminal illness makes no difference at all to me.

Paddi70

+1 for above.

Guilty in a court of law, not out on appeal. He is still guilty, but now free.

If it wasn't for all this compassion that I feel at present, I would wish that he has a very painful rest of his life.

borderlinechris

iTrader: (5)

what we`re going to get now is every terrorist when caught wanting tried in britain...

i am indeed ashamed to be scottish today.

would they release ian brady/peter sutcliffe on "compassionate grounds?" i dont think so.(although they did with that tosser biggs...)

jasey

He served two weeks for each poor soul that he was guilty of murdering.

Scottish Justice - Aye right

TopBanana

I agree with David, there's a lot more to this case than we know about.

I really don't understand the hero's welcome.

r32

Should not have been released. Mass murderer. People with less serious crimes are allowed to rot in prison.

EddScott

Americans are very quick to forget when its they who fire the first shot or commit some of the worst acts of war ever seen.

"Hero's welcome" - well thats just sensationalist journolism isn't it. If the UK felt one of their own was wrongfully accused of something would the UK not be happy to see its own returned safe?

Also if on his return they thought it was a big two fingers up at the west, why fly Scottish Flags on the runway?

This guy was convicted but on what evidence? Some shakey link to baggage in the hold? He seemed like a scape goat with US pressure behind the scenes to pin this on someone.

Same with 9/11, the guys that did it are dead yet find some bloke with a tenuous link and hang the f*cker. Hardly civilised society. The US is a country that allows celebrities to get away with murder or blame some poor doctor for the sudden death of a half crazed pop star. They are hardly the best judges of character.

sprigeteer

iTrader: (9)

I know what you are saying, but I'd rather see justice done than to see the Scottish nation grow in moral stature. As for giving mercy to a dying man, all well and good until you remind yourself in real terms of the crime he is convicted of. If he had broken into a school of some 250 and systematically slit their throats we wouldn't be having this converstion. As it is all we public have seen is a bit of wreckage and some upset relatives.

Forgiveness is a noble trait. BUT there comes a point where you stand your ground. Just because he is dying does not entitle him to anything. Prisoners die in jail every year. What this case is all about is politics of great men and women. It's not about justice or standing up to the Americans. To suggest we should do somehting because Blair wouldn't have done it is short sighted.

My focus in this case is with the families and thier feelings. Some of them wanted him released, some did not. Some thought, he was guilty, some did not. We can't assume he's innocent, despite what the popular press might say. It also hilarious that some of us seem to be at the same time suggetsing the rotten and corrupt Scottish legal system locked up an innocent man and then trying to suggest that it's unlfawed, morally superior genius has released a convicted criminal on compasionate grounds and thus saved the soul of the West.

Like was said earlier, this case owes more to backdoor politics that it does to doing the right thing. If he was proved innocent - different matter completely.

I wonder how the inhabitants of the doomed flight would have voted on this matter?

dome

Sorry to answer on Davids behalf but here is what Jim Swire, who lost his daughter in Lockerbie, had to say.

I think it shows massive ***** by the Scottish Government to release him, the more i read about how the trial was held the more I became uncomfortable that it was held as a "Scottish" trial. As for the evidence against him, this details some of the inconsistencies in the investigation and trial. BBC NEWS | UK | Scotland | Megrahi: 'A convenient scapegoat?'

Good on the Scottish Govenment for standing up to the US and showing this man some compassion.

Brian

jasey

SNP Principles - yeah - like dropping their core belief of Independence for Scotchland just so they can get some power.

This decision was **** all to do with principles and all to do with Libyan OIL.

As for Obama being outraged - yeah yeah - they'll still be dealing with Libya tomorrow

Wurzel

iTrader: (1)

What has Brown got to do with anything? this was a decision made by the sweaties justice minister not the English!!!!

David Lock

A couple of observations

The Americans have no moral authority when it comes to talking about compassion. Guantanamo, rendition, treatment of Iraq prisoners etc. They have only just got rid of the Klu Klux Klan

I think the UK are getting better but remember in the Great War the Generals sat back and commanded thousands of foot soldiers to go "over the top" with likely consequences but were feted as heroes. We still send mentally ill people to prison because that is the easiest option.

But take a moment to look how society has changed over the last few hundred years. Gone are the ghastly instruments of torture and horrendous imprisonment regimes. In the West anyway but sadly there is still Burma and a lot of Africa where a million or so can be eliminated.

The only real hope for society is to demonstrate the highest values by way of example. Yes we'll have to drag the Luddites along kicking and screaming. Compassion is a huge, albeit difficult, part of this.

Just my 2p

dl

hodgy0_2

interestingly his co accused was found "not guilty" which is a pretty high bar to cross in the Scottish judicial system -- as they have a verdict of "not proven" -- which in effect says we think you are guilty but the evidence was not presented to the court.

All the evidence was circumstantial, hence very few people in the Scottish Judiciary believe he should have been convicted at all

I think the biggest shame is that the appeal has been dropped -- and i wouldn't be surprised if the official US response is just bluster to satisfy internal public opinion -- whilst secretly being satisfied that now the appeal is dead in the water the truth will not come out

Devildog

Its an intersting one, and one that initially had me saying "no way"

But, there is a huge amount of doubt that he was actually involved in the bombing. Legally "guilty" didn't mean he actually did it.

In light of that doubt - bearing in mind that the guilty should mean "without reasonable doubt" I think on balance it was the correct thing to do.

I know a journo who covereed the trial. He says it was full of holes, his representation was poor, and the Americans and the Brits were determined to blame someone for what happened. Was he stitched up? Possibly.


My biggest concern though is that the whole thing was purely financially and politically motivated. Had the appeal gone ahead, he may well have been proved innocent.

Then what? Not only massively expensive, but asks more questions than it answers. Is there a lucrative oil deal or not? Only time will tell.

Would it be worse for the families of the victims to know that the real killer(s) were still out there than to know that the man found guilty was being released on compassionate grounds?

That's a hard one.

The American response is hard to judge. Who knows what they have/are being told.

Personally, I'm surprised he didn't have an "accident" in prison years ago. That would have saved us all a lot of trouble and expense.

NotoriousREV

At least his prostate cancer won't let him off on compassionate grounds.

hodgy0_2

as Tony Blair said -- "god will be my judge", which incedently is the same justification suicide bombers give!!!

Leslie

The thing that bothers me is whether he was convicted in a fair trial. It is said that he was found guilty on circumstantial evidence, ie fibres in the suitcase on the aircraft was contained the bomb were compared to clothing that were said to have been in his possession, I wonder how positive that evidence actually was, and also why was a witness who had told a congresswoman that he knew the bombers' identity and that they were not Libyan gagged by the US govt. from giving evidence at the trial. Also the trial was badly and unfairly conducted.

I personally feel that he may well have been incorrectly convicted, undoubtedly for political reasons, and although I cannot prove such a thing, it puts doubt into my mind over the verdict of that court.

I also think that the reasons given by the Scottish justice minister were well put together and all in all together with my doubts about the trial I think it was right to release him from custody and to allow him to go home to die in peace with his family, If he was guilty after all, what is three months or so less time in custody in importance in general with respect to a man doomed to die soon from an awful and painful disease when he may well not be guilty anyway?

Les

TelBoy

Downing Street confirming that Brown wrote to Gadaffi specifically asking that this terrorist didn't get a hero's welcome upon his return. Brown you puppet.


I'd bet everything i own it would have been heeded if Obama had written that letter.