[This is the headline over an article in today's edition of The Herald. It reads in part:]
American families who lost loved ones in the Lockerbie bombing have nothing to fear from an inquiry into Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al Megrahi’s conviction, a long-standing campaigner has told them.
Lockerbie priest Father Pat Keegans has written an open letter to families of the US victims urging them to support a public inquiry into the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over the Dumfries and Galloway town on December 21, 1988, which killed everyone on board and 11 people on the ground. (...)
However, [Megrahi's] conviction has been mired in controversy, splitting opinion on either side of the Atlantic. The rift has intensified amid mounting pressure from Scottish campaigners for an inquiry, after the Libyan had to drop his appeal as a condition of being sent home to die. [RB: Dropping the appeal was a condition of repatriation under the UK-Libya prisoner transfer agreement, not under compassionate release. But, of course, the Justice Secretary made clear that he would deal with both applications together and Megrahi had no way of knowing which -- if either -- the Justice Secretary would favour.]
Father Keegans’s letter asks the US families to “show your concern for the legitimate and sincere views consistently held by me and many others”, insisting the growing number of dissenting voices “cannot be discounted as the rantings and ravings of conspiracy theory fanatics”.
He said: “It is your strongly held view that the trial and verdict were valid … However, your certainty in the validity of the trial and conviction should allow you to accept that such an inquiry would vindicate your belief and you should have nothing to fear from it.”
He added: “Whatever our views, it is clear that the full truth has not emerged; people who murdered our family members and friends are still at large.
“There has been a conviction which is not universally accepted but has been questioned by many. A full, public, independent inquiry into all aspects of the bombing would assist us in finding truth and justice.”
Earlier this month, a petition by the Justice For Megrahi pressure group signed by 1500 people was handed in to MSPs, calling on Holyrood to urge the Scottish Government to open an independent inquiry into the Libyan’s conviction.
Dr Jim Swire, whose daughter Flora died in the Lockerbie bombing, was among the group.
Father Keegans – whose home in Lockerbie escaped virtually unscathed after flaming debris from the aircraft demolished neighbouring houses – has been a counsellor for bereaved relatives in Scotland and overseas as well as an outspoken critic of the investigation and trial which led to Megrahi’s conviction.
Father Keegans said he wrote to the families after receiving an e-mail from Frank Duggan, president of the US family group, criticising comments made by Cardinal Keith O’Brien earlier this month supporting an independent inquiry into the conviction of Megrahi. (...)
But Ted Reina, whose daughter Jocelyn was a flight attendant on the aeroplane, said an inquiry would reopen old wounds.
Mr Reina, from California, said: “I see no good from opening an inquiry into the Lockerbie bombing except for the lawyers lining their pockets. Megrahi has been sent home to a hero’s welcome and is alive and well … For the families who have had years of anguish I see only more pain. I wonder how many of those who call for an inquiry actually saw the trial or watched it on closed circuit TV as my wife and I did.”
[According to a report by The Press Association news agency, Dr Jim Swire commented on The Herald article as follows:]
'Dr Jim Swire, whose daughter Flora died in the bombing, asked MSPs on Holyrood's Petitions Committee to push for an inquiry earlier this month.
'He backed Father Pat Keegans' attempts, hoping for an "objective look" at the evidence.
'Dr Swire said: "I think in the long term, some degree of truth is going to come out. I agree with what Pat Keegans has been saying but there will be some risk. The longer the truth takes to come out, the harder it will be for some people."'
[The full text of Canon Keegans's letter is as follows:]
Dear USA Families of Pan Am Flight 103,
The President of the family group, Mr Frank Duggan, sent an email to me expressing his disappointment with the recent statements made by Cardinal O’Brien. Rather than simply reply to him as an individual I wish to use his comments as an opportunity to speak to all the families.
Dear Families,
We met through an horrendous act of murder. We lost family members and friends through this heinous crime. In all that has happened over the years I have never lost sight of the great suffering inflicted upon you and have sought where possible to be a source of solace, healing and comfort. At the same time I have also been a challenge. Before the trial of Mr Megrahi and Mr Fahima I was saying to many of the families and to the media that I did not believe that the real perpetrators had been arrested and put on trial. During the trial and afterwards I was saying that the trial and the verdict would not stand up to scrutiny; it has not stood up to serious scrutiny. What I was voicing before, during and after the trial has now been voiced by many people at an international level. In his statement Cardinal O’Brien said this: “From the moment the verdict was announced, voices have been raised in protest. Over the years the clamour has grown amongst lawyers, politicians, academics and a growing number of ordinary citizens that the verdict amounted to a miscarriage of justice.”
I for my part would affirm that such voices cannot be discounted as the rantings and ravings of conspiracy theory fanatics or deranged and misguided people. Their voices merit a full, independent and public enquiry into all aspects of what we in Scotland call the Lockerbie Bombing.
I am aware that this is not a view commonly held by you; however, I would ask you to give your support, individually and/or as a group to a full, independent public enquiry. It is your strongly held view that the trial and verdict were valid. After all that has happened since the trial I would have to wonder if such a view is tenable. However, your certainty in the validity of the trial and conviction should allow you to accept that such an enquiry would vindicate your belief and you should have nothing to fear from it. At the same time your support for an enquiry would show your concern for the legitimate and sincere views consistently held by me and many others.
From the beginning we have all sought justice and truth. Whatever our views, it is clear that the full truth has not emerged; people who murdered our family members and friends are still at large. There has been a conviction which is not universally accepted but has been questioned by many. A full, public, independent enquiry into all aspects of the bombing would assist us in finding truth and justice for ourselves and all who have died.
Finally, I will continue to offer to you unconditionally, wherever it is accepted, any support, solace and comfort that I can give.
You are never far from my thoughts and prayers.
Yours sincerely,
Pat Keegans
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query Keegans. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query Keegans. Sort by date Show all posts
Monday 22 November 2010
Thursday 27 December 2018
His belief in Abdelbaset al-Megrahi’s innocence drove him forward
[What follows is excerpted from an article headlined The night fire fell from the sky published today on the website of the Scottish Catholic Observer:]
The 30th anniversary has put the catastrophe at the forefront of the media once again as witnesses and families relive the horror. One survivor who was there at the epicentre in Sherwood Crescent had, at the time of the disaster, recently been appointed parish priest of the town’s Holy Trinity Church.
Just as the previously sleepy town suddenly found itself on the centre of the world’s stage, Canon Patrick Keegans, then Fr Keegans, soon became one of the most recognisable faces of the tragedy.
As darkness descended, and the shortest day of the year gave way to the longest night, no one could have known how just how long the night would be and the devastation it would bring. (...)
“I was upstairs when it happened and the whole house shook so much I thought I would die there,” Canon Keegans said.
“My mother, who was downstairs, was protected by the fridge freezer. At that point I thought it was a fighter plane that had come down.”
Opening the front door, there was only the sound of the crackling of fire to break the momentary eerie silence before the emergency services would descend, only the light of the flames illuminating the darkness which the street had been plunged into as power failed.
“The whole street was gone, it was just debris everywhere,” Canon Keegans said.
“I made an effort to get further in and I think that was symbolic. I needed to try to do something.
“With another man, I was able to carry a woman out but that was as much as we could do in Sherwood Crescent.”
As the local priest, he was soon sought out and, although in the first days he was as shocked and tearful as anyone else, his capacity for pastoral support saw him become an essential part of the grieving and healing in the wake of the atrocity.
“It was simple in some ways because I had the plus factor of living there, of being in Sherwood Crescent at the time, and they could see the sadness in my eyes. And that’s a sorrow that lasts to this day,” he said. (...)
A public life he had never sought or wanted would soon begin. It was his conviction that the families needed to know the truth to begin to heal and his belief in Abdelbaset al-Megrahi’s innocence drove him forward.
Megrahi, an alleged Libyan intelligence officer, was convicted in 2001 of carrying out the bombing.
However, some remain convinced of his innocence. Canon Keegans joined the Justice for Megrahi campaign, which ended his close friendships with many of the victims families.
“I was their blue-eyed boy and then suddenly I was the traitor,” he said.
“To a large extent the relationships went but I’m still close to some of them. I couldn’t just sit back when I believed in his innocence, so my conscience is clear.”
Canon Keegans was spared the survivor guilt which often plagues those who escape death in terrible circumstances.
“I never felt guilty, only grateful to be alive and grateful my mother was alive. I did wish that I had been taken instead of the children, all of whom I knew. (...)
The 30th anniversary has put the catastrophe at the forefront of the media once again as witnesses and families relive the horror. One survivor who was there at the epicentre in Sherwood Crescent had, at the time of the disaster, recently been appointed parish priest of the town’s Holy Trinity Church.
Just as the previously sleepy town suddenly found itself on the centre of the world’s stage, Canon Patrick Keegans, then Fr Keegans, soon became one of the most recognisable faces of the tragedy.
As darkness descended, and the shortest day of the year gave way to the longest night, no one could have known how just how long the night would be and the devastation it would bring. (...)
“I was upstairs when it happened and the whole house shook so much I thought I would die there,” Canon Keegans said.
“My mother, who was downstairs, was protected by the fridge freezer. At that point I thought it was a fighter plane that had come down.”
Opening the front door, there was only the sound of the crackling of fire to break the momentary eerie silence before the emergency services would descend, only the light of the flames illuminating the darkness which the street had been plunged into as power failed.
“The whole street was gone, it was just debris everywhere,” Canon Keegans said.
“I made an effort to get further in and I think that was symbolic. I needed to try to do something.
“With another man, I was able to carry a woman out but that was as much as we could do in Sherwood Crescent.”
As the local priest, he was soon sought out and, although in the first days he was as shocked and tearful as anyone else, his capacity for pastoral support saw him become an essential part of the grieving and healing in the wake of the atrocity.
“It was simple in some ways because I had the plus factor of living there, of being in Sherwood Crescent at the time, and they could see the sadness in my eyes. And that’s a sorrow that lasts to this day,” he said. (...)
A public life he had never sought or wanted would soon begin. It was his conviction that the families needed to know the truth to begin to heal and his belief in Abdelbaset al-Megrahi’s innocence drove him forward.
Megrahi, an alleged Libyan intelligence officer, was convicted in 2001 of carrying out the bombing.
However, some remain convinced of his innocence. Canon Keegans joined the Justice for Megrahi campaign, which ended his close friendships with many of the victims families.
“I was their blue-eyed boy and then suddenly I was the traitor,” he said.
“To a large extent the relationships went but I’m still close to some of them. I couldn’t just sit back when I believed in his innocence, so my conscience is clear.”
Canon Keegans was spared the survivor guilt which often plagues those who escape death in terrible circumstances.
“I never felt guilty, only grateful to be alive and grateful my mother was alive. I did wish that I had been taken instead of the children, all of whom I knew. (...)
Saturday 24 December 2016
Father Pat Keegans censored
Ayr priest barred from Lockerbie memorial service in Virginia
An Ayr priest’s words were this week censored from a memorial service in the USA for the victims of the Lockerbie terror attack.
Canon Patrick Keegans was parish priest at Lockerbie when the attack occurred.
And he has spoken at previous services at the Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, where there is a memorial cairn.
Canon Keegans had sent over an address to be read on Monday – the 21st anniversary of the atrocity.
But it wasn’t read out, after the leader of the American victims’ group took exception to part of it.
Canon Keegan proclaimed the release of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi took ‘courage’ and was the ‘right decision’.
And he further said that although few in America believe Megrahi to be innocent, the victims of the bombing ‘deserve’ justice.
But Frank Duggan, president of Victims of Pan Am 103, saw the excerpt of Canon Keegans’ address, printed by The Herald newspaper.
And he said: “Fr Keegans’ remarks, as printed in the newspaper, were deemed to be very inappropriate for this memorial service." (...)
Canon Keegans’ address also included moving and poignant tributes to victims on the ground and in the air.
And he told the Post this week: “I felt that in view of what has happened this year, I should say the things I did.
“I thought it right to present my view, and the view of many in Scotland.
“I believe in freedom of speech, but Mr Duggan’s censorship of my words has given them greater impact.”
Tuesday 19 July 2016
Lockerbie priest to retire
[This is the headline over a report in today’s edition of The Herald. It reads as follows:]
The Catholic priest who found himself at the centre of the Lockerbie disaster has been ordered by doctors to step down from the pulpit or permanently lose his voice.
Canon Patrick Keegans was the parish priest in the town in 1988 and lived on Sherwood Crescent, which was destroyed as sections of Pan Am flight 103 fell from the sky killing 11 people in the street, as well as all those in the plane.
His house was the only property on the street to be left largely unscathed. He later campaigned against the conviction of Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al Megrahi. But in recent days the administrator of St Margaret’s cathedral in Ayr has been told by his consultant to rest his voice completely with immediate effect.
A statement on the cathedral website states: “The Canon’s vocal cords are damaged and he will lose his voice permanently if he does not follow the doctor’s advice. With rest his voice will heal, but it will not recover enough for him to engage in any public speaking. Canon Keegans, therefore, will be retiring from parish ministry.”
[What follows is taken from a report published this afternoon on the website of The Press and Journal:]
The Catholic priest who found himself at the centre of the Lockerbie disaster has been ordered by doctors to step down from the pulpit or permanently lose his voice.
Canon Patrick Keegans was the parish priest in the town in 1988 and lived on Sherwood Crescent, which was destroyed as sections of Pan Am flight 103 fell from the sky killing 11 people in the street, as well as all those in the plane.
His house was the only property on the street to be left largely unscathed. He later campaigned against the conviction of Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al Megrahi. But in recent days the administrator of St Margaret’s cathedral in Ayr has been told by his consultant to rest his voice completely with immediate effect.
A statement on the cathedral website states: “The Canon’s vocal cords are damaged and he will lose his voice permanently if he does not follow the doctor’s advice. With rest his voice will heal, but it will not recover enough for him to engage in any public speaking. Canon Keegans, therefore, will be retiring from parish ministry.”
[What follows is taken from a report published this afternoon on the website of The Press and Journal:]
The Catholic priest of Lockerbie who survived when 11 neighbours were killed in the Pan Am 103 atrocity has been ordered by doctors to step down from the pulpit – or permanently lose his voice due to a throat problem.
Canon Patrick Keegans, 70, was widely praised for the tireless help he gave bereaved families in the aftermath of the disaster but is sadly now having to retire on health grounds. (...)
Canon Keegans was at home with his mother when the wreckage of the bombed flight obliterated nearly every other property in the Sherwood Crescent area of Lockerbie in December 1988. (...)
As Lockerbie’s then newly-appointed parish priest, the young Canon Keegans had the grim task of helping police to identify the bodies of dead parishioners in the days after the disaster.
In an act of defiance, he soon moved back into his home in the street to show that the people of Lockerbie could cope with the effects of the tragedy.
Like many of the families of those on board the flight, he later opposed the conviction of Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al Megrahi for carrying out the attack and believed him to be an innocent scapegoat.
Canon Keegans is still in regular touch with the families affected by the disaster.
He said: “Lockerbie has always been and will remain part of my life forever. I’m still involved with the families both here and in America.
“I was very keen to see justice done but I think the authorities were so desperate to convict Megrahi and were too quick to dismiss other avenues of investigation.
“I love Lockerbie but I couldn’t live there forever, the disaster would have controlled my life and I couldn’t allow it to do that.”
Thursday 24 December 2009
Ayr priest barred from Lockerbie memorial service in Virginia
[This is the headline over a report in the Ayrshire Post. It reads in part:]
An Ayr priest’s words were this week censored from a memorial service in the USA for the victims of the Lockerbie terror attack.
Canon Patrick Keegans was parish priest at Lockerbie when the attack occurred.
And he has spoken at previous services at the Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, where there is a memorial cairn.
Canon Keegans had sent over an address to be read on Monday – the 21st anniversary of the atrocity.
But it wasn’t read out, after the leader of the American victims’ group took exception to part of it.
Canon Keegan proclaimed the release of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi took ‘courage’ and was the ‘right decision’.
And he further said that although few in America believe Megrahi to be innocent, the victims of the bombing ‘deserve’ justice.
But Frank Duggan, president of Victims of Pan Am 103, saw the excerpt of Canon Keegans’ address, printed by The Herald newspaper.
And he said: “Fr Keegans’ remarks, as printed in the newspaper, were deemed to be very inappropriate for this memorial service." (...)
Canon Keegans’ address also included moving and poignant tributes to victims on the ground and in the air.
And he told the Post this week: “I felt that in view of what has happened this year, I should say the things I did.
“I thought it right to present my view, and the view of many in Scotland.
“I believe in freedom of speech, but Mr Duggan’s censorship of my words has given them greater impact.”
An Ayr priest’s words were this week censored from a memorial service in the USA for the victims of the Lockerbie terror attack.
Canon Patrick Keegans was parish priest at Lockerbie when the attack occurred.
And he has spoken at previous services at the Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, where there is a memorial cairn.
Canon Keegans had sent over an address to be read on Monday – the 21st anniversary of the atrocity.
But it wasn’t read out, after the leader of the American victims’ group took exception to part of it.
Canon Keegan proclaimed the release of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi took ‘courage’ and was the ‘right decision’.
And he further said that although few in America believe Megrahi to be innocent, the victims of the bombing ‘deserve’ justice.
But Frank Duggan, president of Victims of Pan Am 103, saw the excerpt of Canon Keegans’ address, printed by The Herald newspaper.
And he said: “Fr Keegans’ remarks, as printed in the newspaper, were deemed to be very inappropriate for this memorial service." (...)
Canon Keegans’ address also included moving and poignant tributes to victims on the ground and in the air.
And he told the Post this week: “I felt that in view of what has happened this year, I should say the things I did.
“I thought it right to present my view, and the view of many in Scotland.
“I believe in freedom of speech, but Mr Duggan’s censorship of my words has given them greater impact.”
Friday 25 May 2012
‘Chained until we know the truth’
[This is the
headline over a report
published today on the website of the Scottish
Catholic Observer. It reads as
follows:]
Mgr Patrick Keegans, now the administrator of St Margaret’s Cathedral in Ayr, told the SCO this week that he believes the Scottish Government’s decision to release Libyan Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi on compassionate grounds two years ago had now been vindicated, but his and other people’s pursuit of the truth behind the Lockerbie bombing would continue.
He received support in his stance from Archbishop Mario Conti of Glasgow, who said the decision to release Mr Megrahi had shown the ‘maturity and civilisation of the Scottish legal system,’ and from Cardinal Keith O’Brien who, like Mgr Keegans, has signed a declaration published on Sunday calling for a fully independent inquiry into the Lockerbie bombing.
Mr Megrahi died at his home in Libya on Sunday after a long struggle with cancer and Mgr Keegans said it was important to remember that any death was ‘a time of deep grief for the family’ and his ‘prayers and sympathy’ were with Mrs Megrahi and her family.
“However, the horrendous deaths of those who died at Lockerbie, and the suffering of their families are never out of mind,” he said. “And compassion for them is ongoing and unfailing.”
Mgr Keegans said that was why he, along with many others, would continue to pursue the truth behind the Lockerbie bombing.
“Serious doubt over the conviction shared by many people throughout the world,” he said. “This death is a release for him and his family but for the families of those who died, for all of us involved with Lockerbie in many ways we are not released. We are still chained and will be until we know the truth.
Mgr Keegan has joined Cardinal O’Brien, and many high-profile politicians, lawyers and clergymen in signing a statement by the Justice for Megrahi campaign which calls on the Scottish Government to endorse ‘an independent inquiry into this entire affair’ due to what they say are the large number of unanswered questions over the conviction of Mr Megrahi, whom Scottish Secretary of Justice Kenny MacAskill released on compassionate grounds after he was diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer.
“I do think his release on compassionate grounds was a good thing,” Mgr Keegans said. “It was the right thing for him and I think he would have died a long time ago if he had remained in prison. So I am glad he got to go home, write his book and spend time with his family.”
Archbishop Conti joined the monsignor in praising for decision of the Scottish Government to release Mr Megrahi.
“Irrespective of whether time will confirm or exonerate him from involvement in the atrocity which happened over the skies of Lockerbie, I was supportive of the decision to release Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi when it was made on compassionate grounds, and I remain sure that it was the right decision,” the archbishop said.
The priest who served Lockerbie when Pan Am Flight 103 was
blown up in 1988 said that, though the man convicted of the incident had been
‘released from his torment’ by his death, those affected by the tragedy would
remain ‘chained until we know the truth’ behind the bombing.
Mgr Patrick Keegans, now the administrator of St Margaret’s Cathedral in Ayr, told the SCO this week that he believes the Scottish Government’s decision to release Libyan Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi on compassionate grounds two years ago had now been vindicated, but his and other people’s pursuit of the truth behind the Lockerbie bombing would continue.
He received support in his stance from Archbishop Mario Conti of Glasgow, who said the decision to release Mr Megrahi had shown the ‘maturity and civilisation of the Scottish legal system,’ and from Cardinal Keith O’Brien who, like Mgr Keegans, has signed a declaration published on Sunday calling for a fully independent inquiry into the Lockerbie bombing.
Mr Megrahi died at his home in Libya on Sunday after a long struggle with cancer and Mgr Keegans said it was important to remember that any death was ‘a time of deep grief for the family’ and his ‘prayers and sympathy’ were with Mrs Megrahi and her family.
“However, the horrendous deaths of those who died at Lockerbie, and the suffering of their families are never out of mind,” he said. “And compassion for them is ongoing and unfailing.”
Mgr Keegans said that was why he, along with many others, would continue to pursue the truth behind the Lockerbie bombing.
“Serious doubt over the conviction shared by many people throughout the world,” he said. “This death is a release for him and his family but for the families of those who died, for all of us involved with Lockerbie in many ways we are not released. We are still chained and will be until we know the truth.
Mgr Keegan has joined Cardinal O’Brien, and many high-profile politicians, lawyers and clergymen in signing a statement by the Justice for Megrahi campaign which calls on the Scottish Government to endorse ‘an independent inquiry into this entire affair’ due to what they say are the large number of unanswered questions over the conviction of Mr Megrahi, whom Scottish Secretary of Justice Kenny MacAskill released on compassionate grounds after he was diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer.
“I do think his release on compassionate grounds was a good thing,” Mgr Keegans said. “It was the right thing for him and I think he would have died a long time ago if he had remained in prison. So I am glad he got to go home, write his book and spend time with his family.”
Archbishop Conti joined the monsignor in praising for decision of the Scottish Government to release Mr Megrahi.
“Irrespective of whether time will confirm or exonerate him from involvement in the atrocity which happened over the skies of Lockerbie, I was supportive of the decision to release Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi when it was made on compassionate grounds, and I remain sure that it was the right decision,” the archbishop said.
Saturday 22 December 2018
"Some say that you have received justice. I am not at all convinced"
[Lockerbie victims live on in our hearts, says priest is the headline over a Press Association news agency report as featured on the website of The Courier. It reads in part:]
Canon Pat Keegans delivered a homily during a memorial mass at Holy Trinity RC Church in the town on Friday evening.
He spoke of the aftermath of the disaster and how those who died on the night of December 21, 1988 will not be forgotten.
Canon Keegans also told how when he is in Lockerbie he visits the Memorial Stone at Dryfesdale Cemetery and reads the names of the 270 victims, among them people he knew in the town.
He said: “There you are, Joanne Flannigan from Sherwood Crescent. You are only 10. I remember you and I remember your friend Lyndsey Sommerville, who is 10, and her brother, Paul, who is 13.
“And you, Joanne, and Paul and Lyndsey are delivering Christmas cards. You ring my doorbell. You hand me a card. You smile and say, ‘Have a nice Christmas’ and all three of you die.
“But, as with all who died on that evening, whose names are engraved along with yours, you are not just a list. You are not just a distant memory.
“You are not from the past. You are precious people who live on in our hearts, for that is where your names are truly engraved.”
He added: “Some say that you have received justice. I am not at all convinced.
“What I can promise is that we will not close the book on the story of your lives, for the last chapter is still to be written: Pan Am 103. The truth must be known. The whole truth.”
Canon Keegans praised the way those in the town dealt with the aftermath of the tragedy.
He said: “As I speak to you here in Holy Trinity Church this evening, I can reflect that, having experienced here in Lockerbie, the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 and seeing such horror and devastation, we did not allow our lives to be poisoned by fear nor by a desire for revenge.
“All that we looked for was healing, recovery and justice.”
The service was led by Bishop William Nolan, with Father Jim Hayes the current parish Priest and Canon Keegans as guest preacher.
Canon Pat Keegans delivered a homily during a memorial mass at Holy Trinity RC Church in the town on Friday evening.
He spoke of the aftermath of the disaster and how those who died on the night of December 21, 1988 will not be forgotten.
Canon Keegans also told how when he is in Lockerbie he visits the Memorial Stone at Dryfesdale Cemetery and reads the names of the 270 victims, among them people he knew in the town.
He said: “There you are, Joanne Flannigan from Sherwood Crescent. You are only 10. I remember you and I remember your friend Lyndsey Sommerville, who is 10, and her brother, Paul, who is 13.
“And you, Joanne, and Paul and Lyndsey are delivering Christmas cards. You ring my doorbell. You hand me a card. You smile and say, ‘Have a nice Christmas’ and all three of you die.
“But, as with all who died on that evening, whose names are engraved along with yours, you are not just a list. You are not just a distant memory.
“You are not from the past. You are precious people who live on in our hearts, for that is where your names are truly engraved.”
He added: “Some say that you have received justice. I am not at all convinced.
“What I can promise is that we will not close the book on the story of your lives, for the last chapter is still to be written: Pan Am 103. The truth must be known. The whole truth.”
Canon Keegans praised the way those in the town dealt with the aftermath of the tragedy.
He said: “As I speak to you here in Holy Trinity Church this evening, I can reflect that, having experienced here in Lockerbie, the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 and seeing such horror and devastation, we did not allow our lives to be poisoned by fear nor by a desire for revenge.
“All that we looked for was healing, recovery and justice.”
The service was led by Bishop William Nolan, with Father Jim Hayes the current parish Priest and Canon Keegans as guest preacher.
Saturday 22 October 2011
Gadhafi's death won't end Lockerbie controversy
[This is the headline over a report published overnight on the website of The Catholic Register. It reads in part:]
The death of Moammar Gadhafi will do nothing to end years of controversy
over the Lockerbie bombing, said the priest who served in the Scottish
town in 1988.
Fr Patrick Keegans, now the administrator of St Mary Cathedral in Ayr, Scotland, said he regretted that the Libyan dictator was not allowed to live to stand trial for the "atrocities and crimes" he might have committed.
He also said that Gadhafi, who ruled Libya for 42 years, will take to his grave valuable information about the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 and knowledge of who was truly culpable of the attack. (...)
Fr Patrick Keegans, now the administrator of St Mary Cathedral in Ayr, Scotland, said he regretted that the Libyan dictator was not allowed to live to stand trial for the "atrocities and crimes" he might have committed.
He also said that Gadhafi, who ruled Libya for 42 years, will take to his grave valuable information about the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 and knowledge of who was truly culpable of the attack. (...)
Gadhafi was captured alive Oct. 20 by rebels in a drainage pipe outside
the Libyan city of Sirte. He later died, although reports of how and
when he died vary.
In an Oct 21 telephone interview with Catholic News Service, Keegans said Gadhafi "must have had information about who was the Lockerbie bomber," adding that the question of the guilt of the Abdel Baset al-Megrahi, the only man convicted of the bombing, remained unresolved.
The priest said he would continue to demand a full inquiry into the fairness of al-Megrahi's 2002 trial. The former Libyan intelligence officer was jailed for a minimum of 27 years.
"We would like the truth of what happened even though Gadhafi has died," Keegans said. "It is very convenient for some governments that Gadhafi has died because they clearly had connections with him that were rather suspect.
"I am talking about the British government and the US governments."
All the "evidence points to the innocence" of al-Megrahi, he added. "There was a verdict (of guilty) but that verdict was very, very suspect, and he and all the victims of Lockerbie deserve a full inquiry into the trial ... and a review of all the evidence and other facts that have come to light since then."
In an Oct 21 telephone interview with Catholic News Service, Keegans said Gadhafi "must have had information about who was the Lockerbie bomber," adding that the question of the guilt of the Abdel Baset al-Megrahi, the only man convicted of the bombing, remained unresolved.
The priest said he would continue to demand a full inquiry into the fairness of al-Megrahi's 2002 trial. The former Libyan intelligence officer was jailed for a minimum of 27 years.
"We would like the truth of what happened even though Gadhafi has died," Keegans said. "It is very convenient for some governments that Gadhafi has died because they clearly had connections with him that were rather suspect.
"I am talking about the British government and the US governments."
All the "evidence points to the innocence" of al-Megrahi, he added. "There was a verdict (of guilty) but that verdict was very, very suspect, and he and all the victims of Lockerbie deserve a full inquiry into the trial ... and a review of all the evidence and other facts that have come to light since then."
Al-Megrahi, 59, who has maintained his innocence, was released from jail
after seven years and returned to Libya in August 2009 on the grounds
that he was suffering from prostate cancer and had just months to live.
But just weeks ago, he was able gave an interview to Reuters news agency
from his bedside in Tripoli. (...)
Keegans, a priest of the diocese of Galloway, befriended al-Megrahi during prison visits and became convinced of his innocence.
Monday 12 December 2016
“I was convinced he was innocent”
A priest who witnessed the aftermath of the Lockerbie bombing yesterday called for the man convicted of it to be freed.
Father Patrick Keegans, 62, said he believed Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi, who has prostate cancer, was innocent and should be freed on compassionate grounds before an appeal against his conviction.
"I wrote to Mr Megrahi offering him my support, telling him that I was convinced he was innocent, and that I would willingly offer support to him and his family," said Fr Keegans, who was living in Lockerbie at the time of the bombing, just yards from where a wing section of the Pan Am flight crashed in 1988.
Describing the Libyan and his family as "victims" of the bombing, Fr Keegans said he believed there had been a mellowing of opinion, even among those previously convinced of his guilt.
Fr Keegans spoke out during the launch of the "Justice for Megrahi" campaign, to lobby for the release of Megrahi on compassionate grounds. The group includes Dr Jim Swire, whose daughter Flora was one of the victims of the bombing.
Friday 12 December 2008
Priest who witnessed aftermath of Lockerbie backs Megrahi release
A Roman Catholic priest who witnessed the aftermath of the Lockerbie bombing today called for the release of the man convicted for it.
Father Patrick Keegans said Libyan national Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi was innocent of the crime and also deserved release on compassionate grounds. (...)
Fr Keegans told a Glasgow press conference: "I'm here today because of my conscience."
He said he had not so far sought publicity but had been moved this week by newspaper accounts of Megrahi's wife and family.
They are staying in Glasgow in order to be able to visit him in prison.
"My conscience has moved so much over the past two days that I wrote to Mr Megrahi offering him my support, telling him that I was convinced he is innocent and that I would willingly offer support to him and his family," said the priest.
Fr Keegans said that that view put him at odds with friends in the US - many of whom were "convinced" of the Libyan's guilt.
"If I was convinced of Mr Megrahi's guilt, I would not be here today," he said.
"I'm here today because of his human plight, I'm here because I believe Scotland is a compassionate and a fair country.
"I also believe that justice for Mr Megrahi will equal justice for the families because the full truth of Lockerbie has never been revealed."
Fr Keegans, who now lives in Ayr, was a priest in Lockerbie at the time of the bombing.
[From The Herald's report of today's press conference to mark the launch of the Justice for Megrahi campaign. The full report can be read here.]
Father Patrick Keegans said Libyan national Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi was innocent of the crime and also deserved release on compassionate grounds. (...)
Fr Keegans told a Glasgow press conference: "I'm here today because of my conscience."
He said he had not so far sought publicity but had been moved this week by newspaper accounts of Megrahi's wife and family.
They are staying in Glasgow in order to be able to visit him in prison.
"My conscience has moved so much over the past two days that I wrote to Mr Megrahi offering him my support, telling him that I was convinced he is innocent and that I would willingly offer support to him and his family," said the priest.
Fr Keegans said that that view put him at odds with friends in the US - many of whom were "convinced" of the Libyan's guilt.
"If I was convinced of Mr Megrahi's guilt, I would not be here today," he said.
"I'm here today because of his human plight, I'm here because I believe Scotland is a compassionate and a fair country.
"I also believe that justice for Mr Megrahi will equal justice for the families because the full truth of Lockerbie has never been revealed."
Fr Keegans, who now lives in Ayr, was a priest in Lockerbie at the time of the bombing.
[From The Herald's report of today's press conference to mark the launch of the Justice for Megrahi campaign. The full report can be read here.]
Sunday 22 November 2015
From the beginning we have all sought justice and truth
[On this date in 2010 The Herald reported that Pat Keegans, parish priest of Lockerbie at the time of the Pan Am 103 disaster, had written to the families of US victims asking for their support in seeking an independent inquiry into the Lockerbie affair. The report no longer appears on the newspaper’s website, but a long excerpt can be read here. Canon Keegans’s letter reads as follows:]
Dear Families,
We met through an horrendous act of murder. We lost family members and friends through this heinous crime. In all that has happened over the years I have never lost sight of the great suffering inflicted upon you and have sought where possible to be a source of solace, healing and comfort. At the same time I have also been a challenge. Before the trial of Mr Megrahi and Mr Fahima I was saying to many of the families and to the media that I did not believe that the real perpetrators had been arrested and put on trial. During the trial and afterwards I was saying that the trial and the verdict would not stand up to scrutiny; it has not stood up to serious scrutiny. What I was voicing before, during and after the trial has now been voiced by many people at an international level. In his statement Cardinal O’Brien said this: “From the moment the verdict was announced, voices have been raised in protest. Over the years the clamour has grown amongst lawyers, politicians, academics and a growing number of ordinary citizens that the verdict amounted to a miscarriage of justice.”
I for my part would affirm that such voices cannot be discounted as the rantings and ravings of conspiracy theory fanatics or deranged and misguided people. Their voices merit a full, independent and public enquiry into all aspects of what we in Scotland call the Lockerbie Bombing.
I am aware that this is not a view commonly held by you; however, I would ask you to give your support, individually and/or as a group to a full, independent public enquiry. It is your strongly held view that the trial and verdict were valid. After all that has happened since the trial I would have to wonder if such a view is tenable. However, your certainty in the validity of the trial and conviction should allow you to accept that such an enquiry would vindicate your belief and you should have nothing to fear from it. At the same time your support for an enquiry would show your concern for the legitimate and sincere views consistently held by me and many others.
From the beginning we have all sought justice and truth. Whatever our views, it is clear that the full truth has not emerged; people who murdered our family members and friends are still at large. There has been a conviction which is not universally accepted but has been questioned by many. A full, public, independent enquiry into all aspects of the bombing would assist us in finding truth and justice for ourselves and all who have died.
Finally, I will continue to offer to you unconditionally, wherever it is accepted, any support, solace and comfort that I can give.
You are never far from my thoughts and prayers.
Yours sincerely,
Pat Keegans
Tuesday 9 November 2010
MSPs to press ministers for Lockerbie probe
[This is the heading over a report on the website of the Deadline Press & Picture Agency. It is the only detailed account that I have been able to find of this afternoon's hearing before the Holyrood Public Petitions Committee. It reads as follows:]
MSPs are to demand a detailed explanation from the Scottish Government of why they oppose an independent inquiry into the conviction of the Lockerbie bomber.
Leading campaigners today (Tue) presented the parliament’s petitions committee with more than 1,600 signatures backing the move.
Members of the Justice For Megrahi group (JFM) told MSPs a full, independent inquiry was the only way to restore the reputation of the Scottish legal system.
Libyan Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, who was convicted of the December 1988 bombing, dropped his second appeal and returned to his homeland after he was diagnosed with terminal cancer.
Members of JFM believe the unanswered questions about the case have left a dark shadow over the victims and Scottish legal system.
Canon Patrick Keegans, who was the local catholic priest in Lockerbie at the time of the disaster, said: “People have never found a full answer to Lockerbie and this will always be a source of distress.”
Keegans, who lived in Sherwood Crescent, part of which was obliterated by falling debris, said the case was about the “redemption of the Scottish justice system”.
He added: “We have been denied justice from the very beginning. I am very doubtful about the conviction of Megrahi. While doubt remains the victims are denied justice. What we need is the truth about Lockerbie.
Keegans, now the Canon in charge of St Margaret’s Cathedral, Ayr, said: “Obstacles have been put in our way by the Crown Office and by the judiciary. There seems to be a desire to put a lid on this and keep it there.”
“We need truth and we need justice to be at peace. Otherwise we are back in December 1988 in the darkness.”
Jim Swire, whose daughter, Flora, died in the bombing, said “the reputation of Scottish justice has been shot to pieces”.
He said only an impartial inquiry could rebuild that reputation. Swire said the original criminal investigation was run by Scottish police forces and involved Scottish lawyers. They were two obvious groups who might be interested in protecting their reputation, he added.
“Speaking as a relative who has been looking for the truth for 22 years I think it would be vital that any inquiry is seen to be led impartially. Such an inquiry would be of little value if it was deemed to be in any way limited by groups involved in the trial.
Swire said an inquiry “is the only way we will be able to heal the terrible wounds done to our justice system”.
Professor Robert Black, emeritus professor of Scots Law at Edinburgh University, said: “The fact of [Megrahi’s] conviction is being used as an excuse for not holding a wide ranging inquiry.”
Black refuted suggestions from one committee member that an inquiry would create a constitutional crisis by pitching government against judiciary.
He said: “We are asking the Scottish Government to set up an inquiry. The government cannot deny there is domestic and international concern. We are asking them to investigate these concerns.”
First Minister Alex Salmond has said he has confidence in the conviction of Megrahi.
After hearing today’s arguments, the committee agreed to write to the Scottish Government asking them to respond to the request for an independent inquiry.
The petition has already attracted the support of Cardinal Keith O’Brien, head of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland, as well as Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Have I Got News for You? TV star Ian Hislop.
[Today's proceedings before the Public Petitions Committee can be viewed here.]
MSPs are to demand a detailed explanation from the Scottish Government of why they oppose an independent inquiry into the conviction of the Lockerbie bomber.
Leading campaigners today (Tue) presented the parliament’s petitions committee with more than 1,600 signatures backing the move.
Members of the Justice For Megrahi group (JFM) told MSPs a full, independent inquiry was the only way to restore the reputation of the Scottish legal system.
Libyan Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, who was convicted of the December 1988 bombing, dropped his second appeal and returned to his homeland after he was diagnosed with terminal cancer.
Members of JFM believe the unanswered questions about the case have left a dark shadow over the victims and Scottish legal system.
Canon Patrick Keegans, who was the local catholic priest in Lockerbie at the time of the disaster, said: “People have never found a full answer to Lockerbie and this will always be a source of distress.”
Keegans, who lived in Sherwood Crescent, part of which was obliterated by falling debris, said the case was about the “redemption of the Scottish justice system”.
He added: “We have been denied justice from the very beginning. I am very doubtful about the conviction of Megrahi. While doubt remains the victims are denied justice. What we need is the truth about Lockerbie.
Keegans, now the Canon in charge of St Margaret’s Cathedral, Ayr, said: “Obstacles have been put in our way by the Crown Office and by the judiciary. There seems to be a desire to put a lid on this and keep it there.”
“We need truth and we need justice to be at peace. Otherwise we are back in December 1988 in the darkness.”
Jim Swire, whose daughter, Flora, died in the bombing, said “the reputation of Scottish justice has been shot to pieces”.
He said only an impartial inquiry could rebuild that reputation. Swire said the original criminal investigation was run by Scottish police forces and involved Scottish lawyers. They were two obvious groups who might be interested in protecting their reputation, he added.
“Speaking as a relative who has been looking for the truth for 22 years I think it would be vital that any inquiry is seen to be led impartially. Such an inquiry would be of little value if it was deemed to be in any way limited by groups involved in the trial.
Swire said an inquiry “is the only way we will be able to heal the terrible wounds done to our justice system”.
Professor Robert Black, emeritus professor of Scots Law at Edinburgh University, said: “The fact of [Megrahi’s] conviction is being used as an excuse for not holding a wide ranging inquiry.”
Black refuted suggestions from one committee member that an inquiry would create a constitutional crisis by pitching government against judiciary.
He said: “We are asking the Scottish Government to set up an inquiry. The government cannot deny there is domestic and international concern. We are asking them to investigate these concerns.”
First Minister Alex Salmond has said he has confidence in the conviction of Megrahi.
After hearing today’s arguments, the committee agreed to write to the Scottish Government asking them to respond to the request for an independent inquiry.
The petition has already attracted the support of Cardinal Keith O’Brien, head of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland, as well as Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Have I Got News for You? TV star Ian Hislop.
[Today's proceedings before the Public Petitions Committee can be viewed here.]
Tuesday 24 March 2015
"The perpetrators of this crime are still free after committing mass murder"
[What follows is an article from the website of Channel 4 News published on this date four years ago:]
Former foreign minister Moussa Koussa, who arrived in the UK from Libya last week, is believed to have been an intelligence officer at the time of the 1988 Lockerbie atrocity.
Scottish police and prosecutors requested an interview with him at a meeting with Foreign Office officials on Monday.
A statement issued by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) said: "We can confirm that officers of Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary, supported by COPFS, today met Mr Moussa Koussa in relation to the ongoing investigation into the Lockerbie bombing."
No details of the meeting were released "in order to preserve the integrity of the investigation", a spokesman said.
Mr Koussa was head of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's intelligence agency from 1994 and a senior intelligence agent when PanAm flight 103 was blown up over Lockerbie.
Libyan Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi was jailed for mass murder in 2001 but was returned to Tripoli in 2009 on compassionate grounds after doctors treating him for prostate cancer gave him an estimated three months to live.
The Boeing 747 jumbo jet was en route from London to New York when it exploded over Lockerbie.
Canon Patrick Keegans's house was hit by the falling debris which killed several of his neighbours.
Canon Keegans told Channel 4 News he was "surprised but pleased" by the development: "A lot of things have been held back from us regarding Megrahi and Lockerbie.
"He (Moussa Koussa) is bound to know something.
"I'm very doubtful about Megrahi's conviction and think the perpetrators of this crime are still free after committing mass murder."
But Canon Keegans told Channel 4 News he had doubts that the whole truth would come out.
"I think it's strange that the authorities have waited for a Libyan to come forward.
"Two years ago Hillary Clinton said the perpetrators would be pursued with vigour but as far as I see there has been no real attempt."
He continued: "I'm concerned that the authorities will find out new information but not tell the public because it would expose a flawed trial." (...)
Foreign Secretary William Hague told the Commons earlier this week that officials would encourage Mr Koussa to co-operate fully with all requests for interviews with investigating authorities.
He said on Monday: "We will encourage Moussa Koussa to co-operate fully with all requests for interviews with law enforcement and investigation authorities in relation both to Lockerbie as well as other issues stemming from Libya's past sponsorship of terrorism and to seek legal representation where appropriate."
Former foreign minister Moussa Koussa, who arrived in the UK from Libya last week, is believed to have been an intelligence officer at the time of the 1988 Lockerbie atrocity.
Scottish police and prosecutors requested an interview with him at a meeting with Foreign Office officials on Monday.
A statement issued by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) said: "We can confirm that officers of Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary, supported by COPFS, today met Mr Moussa Koussa in relation to the ongoing investigation into the Lockerbie bombing."
No details of the meeting were released "in order to preserve the integrity of the investigation", a spokesman said.
Mr Koussa was head of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's intelligence agency from 1994 and a senior intelligence agent when PanAm flight 103 was blown up over Lockerbie.
Libyan Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi was jailed for mass murder in 2001 but was returned to Tripoli in 2009 on compassionate grounds after doctors treating him for prostate cancer gave him an estimated three months to live.
The Boeing 747 jumbo jet was en route from London to New York when it exploded over Lockerbie.
Canon Patrick Keegans's house was hit by the falling debris which killed several of his neighbours.
Canon Keegans told Channel 4 News he was "surprised but pleased" by the development: "A lot of things have been held back from us regarding Megrahi and Lockerbie.
"He (Moussa Koussa) is bound to know something.
"I'm very doubtful about Megrahi's conviction and think the perpetrators of this crime are still free after committing mass murder."
But Canon Keegans told Channel 4 News he had doubts that the whole truth would come out.
"I think it's strange that the authorities have waited for a Libyan to come forward.
"Two years ago Hillary Clinton said the perpetrators would be pursued with vigour but as far as I see there has been no real attempt."
He continued: "I'm concerned that the authorities will find out new information but not tell the public because it would expose a flawed trial." (...)
Foreign Secretary William Hague told the Commons earlier this week that officials would encourage Mr Koussa to co-operate fully with all requests for interviews with investigating authorities.
He said on Monday: "We will encourage Moussa Koussa to co-operate fully with all requests for interviews with law enforcement and investigation authorities in relation both to Lockerbie as well as other issues stemming from Libya's past sponsorship of terrorism and to seek legal representation where appropriate."
Thursday 19 August 2010
Year since bomber freed, Lockerbie tries to move on
[This is the headline over an Agence France Presse news agency report. It reads in part:]
The quiet Scottish town of Lockerbie is determined to play down Friday's one-year anniversary of the freeing of the Libyan man convicted of blowing up an airliner over its skies.
The Scottish government released Abdelbaset Ali Mohmet al-Megrahi from jail on compassionate grounds on August 20, 2009, allowing him to return to Libya to die from terminal prostate cancer.
A year on, Megrahi is still alive, a fact fuelling anger in the United States -- where most of the victims of Pan Am Flight 103 were from -- at Scotland's decision to free him.
On December 21, 1988, Sherwood Crescent in Lockerbie was nearly wiped out when the wings of the jumbo jet fell from the sky and burst into a fireball.
Now rabbits nibble at the grass covering what was once a huge crater.
Eleven of the street's residents died, along with 259 passengers and crew on the jet travelling from London to New York when it was blown up. (...)
Across Lockerbie, people want to move on -- but that does not mean forgetting what happened 22 years ago.
One man who, like many in the town, was wary of giving his name said Megrahi should have ended his life behind bars in Scotland. (...)
But the lawmaker who represents Lockerbie in the Scottish Parliament, Elaine Murray, said most people in the town want to forget about the furore.
"People in Lockerbie are still affected by the tragedy but like most communities which are affected by disaster, people move on and do their best to put it behind them," said Murray, of the centre-left Labour Party.
"Mostly residents of Lockerbie want to move on and would prefer that the town was known for more than where Pan Am 103 came down."
For others, though, there are more questions to be answered before this can happen.
Father Patrick Keegans was the town's priest at the time of the bombing and lived in the only house on Sherwood Crescent not gutted by the fireball.
Despite his graphic memories, he believes there is "severe doubt" about the safety of Megrahi's conviction in 2001 by Scottish judges in a special court in the Netherlands.
"My strongest memory was the crash happening -- the noise of the jet engine seeming to hit the top of my roof, the sound of the explosion," Keegans, 64, recalled.
"I couldn't believe what I was looking at when I opened the front door. The whole street was just burning."
Keegans, now on the committee of a campaign group called Justice For Megrahi, said people's memories of the attack would not be laid to rest until there was a full review of the case.
"There's never, never going to be any peace in people's minds and hearts until this whole thing is resolved," he said.
"As I said at the time, this won't stand up to any scrutiny and that's proving to be the case. Constantly Lockerbie is coming up -- you would think this would have gone away after 20 years.
"Until the full truth is known, people can't lay this to rest because the truth allows us to deal with things and then reconstruct our lives".
The quiet Scottish town of Lockerbie is determined to play down Friday's one-year anniversary of the freeing of the Libyan man convicted of blowing up an airliner over its skies.
The Scottish government released Abdelbaset Ali Mohmet al-Megrahi from jail on compassionate grounds on August 20, 2009, allowing him to return to Libya to die from terminal prostate cancer.
A year on, Megrahi is still alive, a fact fuelling anger in the United States -- where most of the victims of Pan Am Flight 103 were from -- at Scotland's decision to free him.
On December 21, 1988, Sherwood Crescent in Lockerbie was nearly wiped out when the wings of the jumbo jet fell from the sky and burst into a fireball.
Now rabbits nibble at the grass covering what was once a huge crater.
Eleven of the street's residents died, along with 259 passengers and crew on the jet travelling from London to New York when it was blown up. (...)
Across Lockerbie, people want to move on -- but that does not mean forgetting what happened 22 years ago.
One man who, like many in the town, was wary of giving his name said Megrahi should have ended his life behind bars in Scotland. (...)
But the lawmaker who represents Lockerbie in the Scottish Parliament, Elaine Murray, said most people in the town want to forget about the furore.
"People in Lockerbie are still affected by the tragedy but like most communities which are affected by disaster, people move on and do their best to put it behind them," said Murray, of the centre-left Labour Party.
"Mostly residents of Lockerbie want to move on and would prefer that the town was known for more than where Pan Am 103 came down."
For others, though, there are more questions to be answered before this can happen.
Father Patrick Keegans was the town's priest at the time of the bombing and lived in the only house on Sherwood Crescent not gutted by the fireball.
Despite his graphic memories, he believes there is "severe doubt" about the safety of Megrahi's conviction in 2001 by Scottish judges in a special court in the Netherlands.
"My strongest memory was the crash happening -- the noise of the jet engine seeming to hit the top of my roof, the sound of the explosion," Keegans, 64, recalled.
"I couldn't believe what I was looking at when I opened the front door. The whole street was just burning."
Keegans, now on the committee of a campaign group called Justice For Megrahi, said people's memories of the attack would not be laid to rest until there was a full review of the case.
"There's never, never going to be any peace in people's minds and hearts until this whole thing is resolved," he said.
"As I said at the time, this won't stand up to any scrutiny and that's proving to be the case. Constantly Lockerbie is coming up -- you would think this would have gone away after 20 years.
"Until the full truth is known, people can't lay this to rest because the truth allows us to deal with things and then reconstruct our lives".
Sunday 13 December 2015
Priest claims police interference in aftermath of Lockerbie bomb
[This is the headline over a report published in The Herald on this date in 2008. It reads as follows:]
A new campaign for compassionate release of the man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing comes with a claim of police interference at the start of the investigation.
As the Justice For Megrahi campaign was launched yesterday, Father Patrick Keegans, the priest in Lockerbie at the time, revealed that he had been visited by police during the inquiry and asked to keep to the official line - that Libya was responsible.
Fr Keegans and Dr Jim Swire, whose daughter Flora died in the tragedy that killed 270 people on December 21, 1988, yesterday launched the campaign calling for the people of Scotland to show compassion towards the man convicted of the bombing and allow his release on bail.
Speaking yesterday to launch the campaign, they revealed that they will be writing to MSPs and heads of all religious groups to garner support.
The launch comes just days after The Herald published the first interview with the wife and family of Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al Megrahi, the Libyan serving a life sentence in HMP Greenock for the bombing.
Speaking exclusively to this newspaper, Aisha Megrahi said: "Please release him so he can spend what few days he has left at home with his family."
Just two weeks before the 20th anniversary of the UK's deadliest terrorist attack, she described her heartbreak at discovering that her husband is suffering from terminal cancer and of being able to see him for only 30 minutes a week, in line with prison rules.
Last month, appeal court judges ruled that Megrahi should not be let out on bail while his lengthy appeal continues, provoking fears that he will die in jail before his case can be heard. Lawyers are now expected to apply to Scottish ministers to seek his release from prison on compassionate grounds.
The campaign team, which includes Professor Robert Black, one of the architects of the original trial at Camp Zeist, hopes to influence public opinion to aid such a move.
Fr Keegans, who witnessed the aftermath of the bombing, spoke yesterday of his conviction that Megrahi is innocent and said he was moved to speak out after reading of the family's suffering in The Herald.
"My conscience has moved so much over the past two days that I wrote to Mr Megrahi offering him my support, telling him that I was convinced he is innocent and that I would willingly offer support to him and his family," said the priest.
"I can only imagine what his wife and family go through when visiting him for just half an hour a week and the constant wondering whether when they say goodbye - whether it will be the last.
"I really became convinced of his innocence when the whole thrust of the case shifted from Syria and Iran to Libya alone. Interference in my own life by the investigation team convinced me.
"A police officer asked to come along and speak to me. I listened to him for quite a while and then I said: Have you come here to ask me to be silent?' He said that the point was that when you speak people listen and we would appreciate it if you could follow our line of Libya alone'.
"I complained to the Lord Advocate about it at the time and got a very bland response. The very fact that they interfered and took the trouble to come to talk to me made up my mind that I was on the right track. Other people had similar experiences."
Dr Swire, who yesterday visited Megrahi in prison for the second time, said he noticed a change in the Libyan's appearance.
"As a doctor I am certain that if he were out and with his family rather than in custody, then he would be able to live much longer," he said. "He is clearly a man who is not physically well."
He paid tribute to Megrahi's family for their loyalty, which had extended to the Libyan's daughter Ghada deciding to get married in Barlinnie prison when her father was held there.
A spokesman for the Crown Office said: "While the appeal is ongoing all that is appropriate for us to do is comment in court on the evidence."
The campaign group plan to mark the 20th anniversary of the disaster later this month with a service in the chapel of Heathrow Airport.
Wednesday 10 November 2010
Media coverage of Justice for Megrahi petition hearing
[The best coverage of yesterday's hearing before the Holyrood Public Petitions Committee is to be found in The Times. It can be read -- but only by subscribers -- here. The report reads in part:]
The Scottish legal establishment was accused at a Holyrood committee yesterday of putting obstacles in the way of an independent inquiry into the conviction of the Lockerbie bomber.
The claim was made by Canon Patrick Keegans, who was the local Catholic priest in Lockerbie at the time of the disaster in December 1988.
He was giving evidence to the Scottish Parliament’s petitions committee in support of a 1600-signature petition organised by the Justice for Megrahi (JFM) campaign calling on the Scottish government to set up an inquiry.
Members of the group told MSPs a full independent inquiry was the only way to restore the reputation of the Scottish legal system. (...)
Canon Keegans told MSPs on the committee: “People have never found a full answer to Lockerbie and this will always be a source of distress.”
Canon Keegans, who lived in Sherwood Crescent, part of which was obliterated by falling debris from the aircraft said the case was about the “redemption of the Scottish justice system”.
He added: “We have been denied justice from the very beginning. I am very doubtful about the conviction of al-Megrahi. While doubt remains the victims are denied justice. What we need is the truth about Lockerbie.
He added: “Obstacles have been put in our way by the Crown Office and by the judiciary. There seems to be a desire to put a lid on this and keep it there.
“We need truth and we need justice to be at peace. Otherwise we are back in December 1988 in the darkness.”
Jim Swire, whose daughter, Flora, died in the bombing, said the reputation of Scottish justice had been “shot to pieces”.
He said only an impartial inquiry could rebuild that reputation. Swire said the original criminal investigation was run by Scottish police forces and involved Scottish lawyers.
They were, he added, two obvious groups who might be interested in protecting their reputations.
“Speaking as a relative who has been looking for the truth for 22 years I think it would be vital that any inquiry is seen to be led impartially. Such an inquiry would be of little value if it was deemed to be in any way limited by groups involved in the trial.”
Mr Swire said an inquiry was the only way “we will be able to heal the terrible wounds done to our justice system”.
Professor Robert Black, emeritus professor of Scots Law at Edinburgh University, said: “The fact of the conviction is being used as an excuse for not holding a wide ranging inquiry.”
He added: “We are asking the Scottish government to set up an inquiry. The government cannot deny there is domestic and international concern. We are asking them to investigate these concerns.”
Both First Minister Alex Salmond and Kenny MacAskill, the Justice Secretary, have said they have confidence in the conviction of al-Megrahi.
After hearing from the campaigners, the committee agreed to write to the Scottish government asking them to respond to the request for an independent inquiry.
The petition has already attracted the support of Cardinal Keith O’Brien, head of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland, as well as Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
[Less detailed reports can be found in The Scotsman, The Herald, The Press and Journal, The Courier, the Daily Record, The Sun and, in the USA, Fox. The report in the Dumfries and Galloway Standard, a twice-weekly newspaper circulating in the Lockerbie area, can be read here.]
The Scottish legal establishment was accused at a Holyrood committee yesterday of putting obstacles in the way of an independent inquiry into the conviction of the Lockerbie bomber.
The claim was made by Canon Patrick Keegans, who was the local Catholic priest in Lockerbie at the time of the disaster in December 1988.
He was giving evidence to the Scottish Parliament’s petitions committee in support of a 1600-signature petition organised by the Justice for Megrahi (JFM) campaign calling on the Scottish government to set up an inquiry.
Members of the group told MSPs a full independent inquiry was the only way to restore the reputation of the Scottish legal system. (...)
Canon Keegans told MSPs on the committee: “People have never found a full answer to Lockerbie and this will always be a source of distress.”
Canon Keegans, who lived in Sherwood Crescent, part of which was obliterated by falling debris from the aircraft said the case was about the “redemption of the Scottish justice system”.
He added: “We have been denied justice from the very beginning. I am very doubtful about the conviction of al-Megrahi. While doubt remains the victims are denied justice. What we need is the truth about Lockerbie.
He added: “Obstacles have been put in our way by the Crown Office and by the judiciary. There seems to be a desire to put a lid on this and keep it there.
“We need truth and we need justice to be at peace. Otherwise we are back in December 1988 in the darkness.”
Jim Swire, whose daughter, Flora, died in the bombing, said the reputation of Scottish justice had been “shot to pieces”.
He said only an impartial inquiry could rebuild that reputation. Swire said the original criminal investigation was run by Scottish police forces and involved Scottish lawyers.
They were, he added, two obvious groups who might be interested in protecting their reputations.
“Speaking as a relative who has been looking for the truth for 22 years I think it would be vital that any inquiry is seen to be led impartially. Such an inquiry would be of little value if it was deemed to be in any way limited by groups involved in the trial.”
Mr Swire said an inquiry was the only way “we will be able to heal the terrible wounds done to our justice system”.
Professor Robert Black, emeritus professor of Scots Law at Edinburgh University, said: “The fact of the conviction is being used as an excuse for not holding a wide ranging inquiry.”
He added: “We are asking the Scottish government to set up an inquiry. The government cannot deny there is domestic and international concern. We are asking them to investigate these concerns.”
Both First Minister Alex Salmond and Kenny MacAskill, the Justice Secretary, have said they have confidence in the conviction of al-Megrahi.
After hearing from the campaigners, the committee agreed to write to the Scottish government asking them to respond to the request for an independent inquiry.
The petition has already attracted the support of Cardinal Keith O’Brien, head of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland, as well as Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
[Less detailed reports can be found in The Scotsman, The Herald, The Press and Journal, The Courier, the Daily Record, The Sun and, in the USA, Fox. The report in the Dumfries and Galloway Standard, a twice-weekly newspaper circulating in the Lockerbie area, can be read here.]
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