[What follows is excerpted from a report published yesterday on the Devon Live website:]
The dad of a Lockerbie victim has called for greater transparency on the health of the alleged bombmaker - after revealing further delays to his trial.
Libyan Abu Agila Masud, 74, has been accused of making the bomb which killed 270 victims over Lockerbie on 21 December 1988 and was originally due to go on trial in Washington in May this year.
But Paul Hudson, who lost his daughter Melina in the bombing as she flew home to New York after a semester at a school in Exeter, Devon, said it has now been delayed until May next year "at the earliest."
He has now raised concern about the health of the defendant, which he says is being held back from the public under 'privacy grounds'.
And he fears his health could be being manipulated - citing the example of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, who was freed early in the UK under claims he had months to live - but survived for another three years.
Paul said he fears this could be being deployed as a delaying tactic for the trial, which has already been pushed back twice.
He said: "He seems to be stable as of now from what we know. But they are keeping secret his actual medical information. I find it a little strange as that is not something that is prejudicial. They are keeping it secret and the judge is saying it is based on medical privacy standards.
"It seems that should not really apply in cases like this.
"There was something similar in a different context with al-Megrahi. He was let out of prison in the UK prematurely based on claims he was going to pass away within six months. There was never any release of the medical information outside experts could evaluate. It turns out it was completely untrue and he went on to live a lot longer.
"I don't agree with that. There is not much I can do but there should be as much transparency as possible. If health of the defendant and medical issues is used to delay trial - or even accelerate it - it should not be kept secret to anyone.
"Even the judge doesn't have access to it I understand. There is only limited access to the prosecution but none at all for the public. (...)
Mr Hudson has since spent decades fighting for justice for the victims of Pan Am 103.
Masud was initially due to stand trial at a federal court in Washington in May this year accused of two counts of destruction of an aircraft resulting in death and destruction of a vehicle resulting in death.
He has denied all three charges and Paul was initially told of a delay due to his health.
After being told his health had improved and a target trial date was set for March next year, further delays have now been confirmed to the victim's families.
Paul added: "There have been more delays and I think we are probably looking at late spring or summer at the earliest for trial.
"I think it requires leadership at a higher level to make it all go forward in a good way.
"I don't trust the prosecutors, the police or judiciary, even if they wanted to.
"One of the things I am hoping for is a meeting with the US attorney general and with the chief prosecutor to make sure all the different parts are moving together to a proper conclusion and schedule.
"Reasons given for the latest delays include a change of personnel in prosecution and the defence law firms.
"They are also going through suppression hearings where the defence will try to exclude evidence the prosecution wants to present at trial.
"There is a confession the defence claims was improper and a bunch of other things they are going through.
"Motions are being filed back and forth. Hearings are mostly closed to the public and to the victims. It is really hard for any outsider to know the know to keep it from potential jurors what evidence is going to be excluded.
"I have read the paper motions but have not been able to go to the hearings before the judge to hear about the evidence in great detail.
"My feeling is I would like to see it happen sooner rather than later to never. However I would like to see it done correctly.
"So on the other hand a trial that begins prematurely could also be negative for prosecution and justice generally." (...)
He has denied all three charges and claims his confession to building the bomb and taking it in a suitcase from Tripoli to Malta was made under duress.
Paul, who is now 79, said he would never stop fighting for justice. (...)
"I am hopeful, not only of a conviction here, but we may have a defendant who no doubt knows other people involved that could lead to further prosecutions."
Currently the only suspect convicted remains Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, who was jailed for life in 2001 but released by the Scottish government on compassionate grounds in 2009.
His co-defendant Lamin Khalifah Fhimah was acquitted but remains the subject of an active US arrest warrant.
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