Lockerbie bomber awaits verdict

The judges are to announce their decision

Judges considering the appeal of the man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing are preparing to deliver their verdict.

Abdelbaset ali Mohmed al-Megrahi was jailed for life last January after being found guilty of mass murder.

However, he quickly lodged an appeal against the verdict of the special Scottish Court, which sat at Camp Zeist in the Netherlands.

Al-Megrahi was convicted in January 2001

The five Scottish judges who heard that appeal are now set to say whether al-Megrahi will have to travel to Scotland to serve the rest of his sentence - or whether he is free to return home to Libya.

Pan Am Flight 103 exploded over the Scottish town of Lockerbie in December 1988, leading to the deaths of 270 people.

Al-Megrahi was found guilty of mass murder after an 84-day trial at Camp Zeist. The judges recommended that he should serve a minimum of 20 years.

However, during his appeal lawyers for the 49-year-old Libyan argued that new evidence pointed to a miscarriage of justice.

Bill Taylor, QC, defending, said the new evidence raised the possibility that the bomb had been placed on the aircraft at Heathrow and not in Malta, as the trial judges had concluded.

Deliver ruling

However, prosecution lawyer Alan Turnbull QC said the new evidence was weak and flawed, and did not affect the original case.

The judges, headed by the Lord Justice General Lord Cullen, are due to deliver their ruling at 1100 (1000 GMT) on Thursday.

If al-Megrahi's conviction is upheld it is expected that he will be transferred to Scotland within the next 24 hours to serve the rest of his sentence.

It is believed that he will be housed at Barlinnie Prison in Glasgow.

However, if the judges decide to overturn the original verdict al-Megrahi could be back in Libya by the end of the week.