Lockerbie bomber case review to be carried out

A full review of the case of Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrahi is to becarried out to decide whether a new appeal against his conviction can be made.

The Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission (SCCRC) said it believes Megrahi abandoned a previous appeal "as he held a genuine and reasonable belief that such a course of action would result in him being able to return home to Libya" when he was suffering from terminal cancer.

Megrahi was convicted in 2001 of the Lockerbie bombing, which killed 270 people.

He was jailed for 27 years but died of prostate cancer aged 60 in 2012 after being released on compassionate grounds in 2009.

He lost an appeal against his conviction in 2002, with the SCCRC recommending in 2007 that he should be granted a second appeal.

He dropped the second attempt to overturn his conviction in 2009, ahead of his return to Libya, but his family lodged a new appeal last year.