Judges appointed for Lockerbie appeal

The five Scottish judges appointed to hear the Lockerbie bomber's appeal which is due to begin next week were named today.

The five Scottish judges appointed to hear the Lockerbie bomber's appeal which is due to begin next week were named today.

Scotland's top judge, the Lord Justice General, Lord Cullen, has appointed the judges to hear the appeal of Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi. The appeal is expected to begin at Camp Zeist, near Utrecht, Holland, next Wednesday.

The judges who will hear the appeal will be Lord Cullen, Lord Kirkwood, Lord Osborne, Lord Macfadyen and Lord Nimmo Smith.

Broadcasting companies have been given the go-ahead to televise the proceedings and the BBC plans a live webcast.

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The Lockerbie bomber was jailed for life for the mass murder of 270 people in December 1988. The plane was blown out of the skies over Lockerbie, killing all 259 passengers and crew, plus 11 residents on the ground who died as burning wreckage rained down on their homes.

Al Megrahi, who was ordered to serve a minimum of 20 years in prison after being convicted of mass murder, is appealing against his conviction. His lawyers plan to bring fresh evidence during the appeal, which is expected to last about three weeks.

PA