London's Imperial War Museum to exhibit Lockerbie trial witness box

[This is the headline over a report in today's edition of the Daily Record. It reads in part:]

The witness box from the Lockerbie bombing trial has been bought by the Imperial War Museum.

They are putting it on show in London in 2014 as part of an overhaul of exhibits.

Bomber Abdulbaset al-Megrahi listened to months of testimony from witnesses in the box at his trial in Camp Zeist, Holland.

A Scottish court was set up there in 2000 so he could be tried on neutral ground.

Dr Jim Swire, whose daughter Flora died when Pan Am 103 came down in 1988, said: “One has to question whether the box itself bore witness to the truth of the Lockerbie events or to something else entirely.

“In any event, there was an exhibit in Glasgow’s Museum of Transport for some years where one might have thought any additional items may be selected for display.

“One also has to ask what war this artefact is supposed to be associated with.” 

The IWM defended the decision to snap up the box, saying their remit is “to cover conflicts from 1914 to the present day – this includes acts of terrorism”.

[This story was broken on 13 January by Scottish lawyers' magazine The Firm. Its article, with longer quotes from the IWM and Dr Swire, can be read here.]