This week has brought the shocking news that the so-called Lockerbie bomber, Libyan Abdulbaset al Megrahi who is dying of terminal prostate cancer, has been released by the Scottish Government on compassionate grounds to return to his home country.

There has been uproar in both the USA and Britain about the release and the subsequent hero's reception by the Libyans on his return.

What seems to have slipped from the public reporting is that Al Megrahi had to terminate his appeal proceedings in order to secure his release.

He will now, forever, remain 'guilty' of the crime for which he was convicted.  The reason for his release include 'mercy'.  No-one seems to have considered that Al Megrahi was released to ensure that his appeal would be terminated (and it was only on that condition that he was released).  The actual evidence points very clearly at Iranian elements, and not Libyan, causing the Lockerbie attack.  The attack happened only a short while after the US had shot down an Iranian civilian airliner killing all those on board.  Private Eye's Paul Foot did an extensive investigation of the evidence and published a full report on the matter in 2001.  Anyone who reads that document can have no doubt as to the motives and the methods of all the parties involved in this disgusting travesty of justice.  Many of the familes of those taken in the attack wanted the appeal to continue, because there is an awful smell that only the airing of all the evidence will ever go some way to lessening.  If I was a victim's family member or friend, I'd want to know that they had got the right person for this horrendous act.  Now I wonder if they'll ever get the real killer/s - I guess that depends on how badly they want to court public opinion against Iran.  Google "Private Eye Lockerbie" and buy the report for an extensive revelation of the evidence and motives of those involved.

The way that the US authorities have reacted has only made matters worse in my view.  They are even calling into focus the UK's relationship with the USA.  If it had ever been anything like equitable, then I might understand the logic in falling over ourselves to be their lapdog.  In recent history it has never been so.

I find it startling that no-one ever brings up the number of IRA terrorists that were sheltered by the USA and the number of terrorist attacks in the UK that were funded with American money.  They did not rush to our aid back then and showed plenty of 'mercy' to guilty (and not dying) men.

There is so much political expediency and hypocrisy being exhibited here that it would be risible if it was not so disgusting.