Judges at the appeal of the Lockerbie bomber have ruled fresh evidence of a break-in at Heathrow Airport should be heard.
Lord Cullen, chair at the Scottish court in Holland, said they had agreed to an application by the defence to call Heathrow security guard Mr Ray Manly as a witness.
Mr Manly claims he found evidence that a door was forced in the baggage area at the airport 16 hours before Pan Am flight 103 took off on its final voyage.
Mr Alan Turnbull QC, for the prosecution, told judges they should refuse to hear the evidence because it could not be shown to strengthen the defence case. He said if the judges allowed Mr Manly to go into the witness box, he would be calling other witnesses to support the prosecution case.
Libyan Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi, who is serving a life sentence for mass murder, began his appeal against conviction three weeks ago.
His defence lawyers have sought to cast doubt on aspects of the judgment of the three judges who presided over the nine-month trial at the Scottish Court in The Netherlands.
Mr William Taylor QC told appeal judges the evidence of a key witness, Maltese shopkeeper Mr Tony Gauci, who said Al Megrahi bought clothes from his shop in December 1988, could not be relied on.
Mr Taylor also read statements by Mr Manly that he claimed supported the defence case the bomb was most likely to have been loaded onto the plane at Heathrow Airport.
PA