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Big Wullie · Joined: 25 Apr 2007 Posts: 1149 Location: Glasgow

Robbie wrote this letter to the editor of The Firm Mag here:

Letter to the Editor - Accident over Lockerbie

http://www.thefirmmagazine.com/fe...r__-_Accident_over_Lockerbie.html

Justice campaigner and former pilot Robbie the Pict, voted 4th most influential figure in Scots law, argues that as the Crown case against Abdelbaset Ali Mohmad al Megrahi continues to unravel, Scottish authorities are failing in their duty to investigate the true cause of the fall of Pan Am 103.

Dear Sir,

You were courageous enough last year to help ask the public question of whether the PanAm 103 crash might have been an accident. Your piece featured the theory of explosives engineer John H. Parkes of Edinburgh who had been at the crash site and subsequently submitted a report to the Crown Office as to what he believed had been a more likely cause of the crash, namely radio interference triggering an illegal load of munitions. (The report never saw the light of day.) I contributed supporting argument by pointing out the evidentially established presence of hundreds of thousands of 'needles' which I suggested may in fact have been 'flechettes', deadly anti-personnel darts sometimes contained in the warheads of such as Lockheed Hydra 70 rockets.

My essential point in law was that all the public focus is being directed to a deliberate explosion and suspiciously away from an accidental explosion, the other logical alternative.

For the sake of completeness in this endeavour, may I be allowed to draw your readers' attention to another credible alternative which stands scrutiny as an 'accident' explanation, namely the Aircraft Accident Report on Pan Am 103 (2002) by independent investigator John Barry Smith (www.corazon.com). In his report, Mr Smith argues that the cause of this crash, and indeed of several others of like aircraft, is the failure of the electrical wiring related to the forward cargo door. He suggests that the 'Poly X' wiring cracks and thus loses insulation properties, and the resultant short may allow the securing bolts on the plug-style door to release. The door opening at altitude causes an enormous 'explosive decompression' which will, amongst other things, whip contents of the cargo hold into the nearest engine with deadly consequences. Mr Smith's report is thorough and well argued and I commend it to interested parties.

Returning to principles of law, I believe that there are now at least two very credible alternatives which suggest that the 'accident' avenue should be opened to investigation. It is hard to believe that the 'authorities' in Scotland are not interested in what really caused the downing of this aircraft.

Incidentally and for those who cannot resist hearsay, whilst investigating this matter I was made aware of an eye-witness who reports Pan Am 103 as passing overhead at a gradual angle of approach, wholly intact and with its cabin lights on, but with its engines on full throttle as if trying to climb, less than two miles from crashing onto Lockerbie. This same eye-witness claims that only then did the plane break into pieces. He was not called to testify.

The Crown's conspiracy theory thus continues to come apart at the seams and certainly fails to provide justification for the utterly disgraceful ploy of using an appellant's own impending death as blackmail to persuade him to drop his appeal, thereby delaying disclosure of God knows what.

Yours etc.

Robbie the Pict
Ex-pilot, ex-RAF Police.

Big Wullie · Joined: 25 Apr 2007 Posts: 1149 Location: Glasgow

Lord Hamilton orders the release of important documents

http://news.scotsman.com/scotland...-documents-legal-order.5081377.jp

PROSECUTORS were ordered yesterday by three appeal judges to produce any undisclosed documents about a key witness whose evidence helped to convict the Lockerbie bomber.

Lawyers for Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi, 56, the former Libyan intelligence officer serving a life sentence for the bombing, believe that information about the witness could help in their fight to have the conviction overturned.

The Crown says it has responded to informal requests from the defence and has conducted exhaustive searches and handed over as much material as it could. Now Megrahi's team has been given the backing of a court order to ensure that everything possible is revealed.

Lord Hamilton, the Lord Justice-General, said: "Without expressing any view on the adequacy of the steps already taken by the Crown to satisfy the claims for recovery, we consider that the appropriate course at this stage is to identify the classes of document which the appellant is, in our judgment, entitled to recover."

Those classes included any payment of a reward or offer of a place on a witness protection programme to Tony Gauci, a Maltese shopkeeper.

More can be seen here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/south_of_scotland/7949304.stm

scotkaz · Joined: 28 Aug 2008 Posts: 527

From todays Record:

Lockerbie Judges' Order On Evidence

Mar 18 2009

PROSECUTORS are to be forced to hand over secret documents about a crucial witness at the Lockerbie bombing trial.

Appeal court judges yesterday ordered the disclosure of the material following an application by lawyers for Abdelbaset Al Megrahi, who is serving life for the Pan Am jet bombing which killed 270 people.

Megrahi, 56, a Libyan intelligence agent who is now suffering from prostate cancer, was ordered to serve at least 27 years and is preparing an appeal.

The Crown insisted yesterday they had handed over all material relating to Maltese shopkeeper Tony Gauci.

But the appeal judges said whether extra documents existed was not relevant to the application before them. The Lord Justice General, Lord Hamilton, added that public interest immunity might apply to some of the material requested.

And he said the court's order would be subject to the consideration of any objections by governments or agencies on those grounds.

Gauci gave evidence at Megrahi's trial that a man he saw buying clothing which was packed into a suitcase with the bomb looked a lot like Megrahi.

In the extensive grounds of appeal lodged on behalf of Megrahi, those relating to his evidence run to almost 150 pages.

Megrahi's case was referred to the appeal court by the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission, set up to investigate alleged miscarriages of justice.
_________________
Great Spirit, grant that I may not criticize my neighbor until I have walked a mile in his moccasins." - Old Native American Indian Prayer that my dad taught me.

Big Wullie · Joined: 25 Apr 2007 Posts: 1149 Location: Glasgow

Scotkaz