Biggs Relased - Lockerbie Bomer Released - Gary McKinnon
Biggs Relased - Lockerbie Bomer Released - Gary McKinnon
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Slate99

Original Poster:

2,270 posts

215 months

Thursday 13th August 2009
quotequote all
What is wrong with the British legal system.

The train robber released of compassionate grounds - OK fair enough he is a vegatable.

Lockerbie Bomber Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi will be release on compassionate grounds - He killed 270 people! 270!!! He has only served 2 weeks in prison for each victim! Im sorry but that is truely disgusting! Life should mean life.

The asperger suffering Gary McKinnon will spend the rest of his life in an american prison because he looked for alien infomation by using accounts that still had there default password!!

Something seems very very wrong. Justice is fked!

Edited by Slate99 on Thursday 13th August 08:11

Baby Huey

4,881 posts

229 months

Thursday 13th August 2009
quotequote all
Slate99 said:
What is wrong with the British legal system.

The train robber released of compassionate grounds - OK fair enough he is a vegatable.

Lockerbie Bomber Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi will be release on compassionate grounds - He killed 270 people! 270!!! He has only served 2 weeks in prison for each victim! Im sorry but that is truely disgusting! Life should mean life.

The asperger suffering Gary McKinnon will spend the rest of his life in an american prison because he looked for alien infomation by using accounts that still had there default password!!

Something seems very very wrong. Justice is fked!

Edited by Slate99 on Thursday 13th August 08:11
Plenty of people believe Al-Megrahi to be innocent, I think that may be why he
is being treated with leniency.

Slate99

Original Poster:

2,270 posts

215 months

Thursday 13th August 2009
quotequote all
Baby Huey said:
Plenty of people believe Al-Megrahi to be innocent, I think that may be why he
is being treated with leniency.
Surely if this is the case then it is the wrong way to deal with it. If he is innocent his sentence should be removed from his record. He should be re trialed and not let free. ( I am aware that my knowledg or crimial law is limited) but it seems so wrong to me.

Baby Huey

4,881 posts

229 months

Thursday 13th August 2009
quotequote all
Yes, you're right, they are going about it the wrong way.

mattviatura

2,996 posts

230 months

Thursday 13th August 2009
quotequote all
Al-Megrahi is at present guilty of the murder of 270 people.

Prior to the atrocity 21 years ago Lockerbie was, to many, just a name on a signpost when heading North.

In a time before the internet and 24 hour news coverage for most people I can vividly remember the numb shock of the morning after, I can remember Simon Mayo on the radio trying to present his programme and not managing to maintain his then-jocular style.

The image of the stricken 747's nosecone lying in that field still has the power to shock.

270 people heading home for Christmas were torn out of the sky.

Al-Megrahi should not be released.

johnnywb

1,631 posts

238 months

Thursday 13th August 2009
quotequote all
I don't understand this idea of releasing people on compassionate grounds. Biggs never even showed any remorse.

If your sentance means you will die in prison so be it, that was their choice, they knew the risks.


It would appear that there are question marks over the Lockerbie Bomber's guilt. If that's the case, then there will have been appeals and retrials (i have not followed this that closely). If there was reasonable doubt h should not have been convicted. As it is, he has been found guilty and should be treated as such.

As for Gary McKinnon, it's a joke. The US can now extradite any one of us on a whim. They only seem to have to produce some cursory evidence and the UK Government hand you over. It's a fking disgrace and something that needs reversing as quickly as possible. People should only be extradited if there are reasonable grounds for a conviction.

Slate99

Original Poster:

2,270 posts

215 months

Thursday 13th August 2009
quotequote all
johnnywb said:
The US can now extradite any one of us on a whim. They only seem to have to produce some cursory evidence and the UK Government hand you over.
This to me is the biggest problem. Our own government are more concered about the Anglo-american relationship than they are about an asperger suffering Brit who is in fact taking the fall for american agents who are unable to remember a different password! They broke there protocol and McKinnon took advantage of that in his hunt for info.

Spiritual_Beggar

4,833 posts

224 months

Thursday 13th August 2009
quotequote all
Slate99 said:
The train robber released of compassionate grounds - OK fair enough he is a vegatable.
Erm....didn't you know?

After he was released, he made a miraculous recovery! Well, not a true recovery, but he's not in a 'could die any day' state anymore.

Oh, yeah, and he still shows no remorse!

Edited by Spiritual_Beggar on Thursday 13th August 09:42

Parrot of Doom

23,075 posts

264 months

Thursday 13th August 2009
quotequote all
mattviatura said:
Al-Megrahi is at present guilty of the murder of 270 people.

Prior to the atrocity 21 years ago Lockerbie was, to many, just a name on a signpost when heading North.

In a time before the internet and 24 hour news coverage for most people I can vividly remember the numb shock of the morning after, I can remember Simon Mayo on the radio trying to present his programme and not managing to maintain his then-jocular style.

The image of the stricken 747's nosecone lying in that field still has the power to shock.

270 people heading home for Christmas were torn out of the sky.

Al-Megrahi should not be released.
Read citations 15-18 on this link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdelbaset_Ali_Mohmed...

mattviatura

2,996 posts

230 months

Thursday 13th August 2009
quotequote all
Just did.

So the BBC and the Guardian think the CIA fixed the trial, no real surprise there. I'm sorry I don't know what the "International Progress Organisation" is, but I've got a fair guess.

I reiterate, 270 innocent people were blown out of the sky. Could've been you, could've been me. Thankfully we're here to debate it, they aren't.

The convicted man should remain in prison.

Edited by mattviatura on Thursday 13th August 09:57

Parrot of Doom

23,075 posts

264 months

Thursday 13th August 2009
quotequote all
mattviatura said:
Just did.

So the BBC and the Guardian think the CIA fixed the trial, no real surprise there. I'm sorry I don't know what the "International Progress Organisation" is, but I've got a fair guess.

I reiterate, 270 innocent people were blown out of the sky. Could've been you, could've been me. Thankfully we're here to debate it, they aren't.

The convicted man should remain in prison.

Edited by mattviatura on Thursday 13th August 09:57
They're not the only ones, which is why the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission has granted him the right to appeal after uncovering evidence of a serious miscarriage of justice.

mattviatura

2,996 posts

230 months

Thursday 13th August 2009
quotequote all
He is, at present, guilty.

Parrot of Doom

23,075 posts

264 months

Thursday 13th August 2009
quotequote all
...and suffering from a serious case of Prostate cancer, and may very well die soon.

Should a man who has been found guilty in what appears to be a seriously flawed case be forced to remain imprisoned when he could die well before his appeal is heard?

Edited by Parrot of Doom on Thursday 13th August 10:13

Tony*T3

20,911 posts

277 months

Thursday 13th August 2009
quotequote all
Slate99 said:
What is wrong with the British legal system.

The train robber released of compassionate grounds - OK fair enough he is a vegatable.

Lockerbie Bomber Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi will be release on compassionate grounds - He killed 270 people! 270!!! He has only served 2 weeks in prison for each victim! Im sorry but that is truely disgusting! Life should mean life.

The asperger suffering Gary McKinnon will spend the rest of his life in an american prison because he looked for alien infomation by using accounts that still had there default password!!

Something seems very very wrong. Justice is fked!

Edited by Slate99 on Thursday 13th August 08:11
Why do you give a ste about Gary Macinnon? So he has a moderatly mild mental issue that 20 years ago we wouldnt have even recognised. He committed crimes for which this minor mental issue has little or no relevance. If he hadn't of been looking at deportation and a possible life setance he probably woul dnever have even sought to be diagnosed with this. FFS are we really saying he should not face the US judicial system just because he now suddenly has been diagnosed with some minor ailment. Do you for a minute believe he didn't know what he was doing?

Zod

35,295 posts

288 months

Thursday 13th August 2009
quotequote all
Slate99 said:
Baby Huey said:
Plenty of people believe Al-Megrahi to be innocent, I think that may be why he
is being treated with leniency.
Surely if this is the case then it is the wrong way to deal with it. If he is innocent his sentence should be removed from his record. He should be re trialed and not let free. ( I am aware that my knowledg or crimial law is limited) but it seems so wrong to me.
You are absolutely corect. It is typical of this government's disregard for the law that they go abou this in such a manner. If there are doubts about his conviction, the DPP should take another look at the case. It is unacceptable to release a convicted prisoner without any judicial redetermination of his guilt if the reason for the release is doubt as to the safety of the conviction.

mattviatura

2,996 posts

230 months

Thursday 13th August 2009
quotequote all
I wasn't present in court and can only go on what was reported.

Mr al-Megrahi was found guilty under our judicial system which I believe to be, on the whole fair.

The same judicial system has given Mr al-Megrahi right of appeal, if he is found to be innocent he will be released and appropriately compensated.

If he dies prior to the outcome of his appeal and was in fact innocent, he will very sadly be another victim of the atrocity and I would hope very much the investigation will reopen.

I don't believe convicted murderers should be released pending legal appeal, regardless of the circumstances.

You are of course entitled to your opinion Parrot.

Tony*T3

20,911 posts

277 months

Thursday 13th August 2009
quotequote all
It should be remembered that there is a much bigger picture to the PAN AM bombing. One man has been convicted (who really knows if that was fair?) but either way many people died in the lead up to this event and many people committed acts that from other points of view are just as bad. Americas bombing of Libya wasn't sanctioned by the UN and wasnt supported by nearly all reasonably minded world governemnts. There have been many much smaller acts of war in history.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombing_of_Libya

Maybe its actually better to put an end to this period of history and create better political ties between countries rather than appease those that demand that justice is fully served?

Perhaps releasing the libyan to die is actually the right thing to do in the bigger picture?


Parrot of Doom

23,075 posts

264 months

Thursday 13th August 2009
quotequote all
Zod said:
Slate99 said:
Baby Huey said:
Plenty of people believe Al-Megrahi to be innocent, I think that may be why he
is being treated with leniency.
Surely if this is the case then it is the wrong way to deal with it. If he is innocent his sentence should be removed from his record. He should be re trialed and not let free. ( I am aware that my knowledg or crimial law is limited) but it seems so wrong to me.
You are absolutely corect. It is typical of this government's disregard for the law that they go abou this in such a manner. If there are doubts about his conviction, the DPP should take another look at the case. It is unacceptable to release a convicted prisoner without any judicial redetermination of his guilt if the reason for the release is doubt as to the safety of the conviction.
I suggest you read a bit more about the case then, because your last sentence is a misrepresentation of the truth.

Zod

35,295 posts

288 months

Thursday 13th August 2009
quotequote all
Parrot of Doom said:
Zod said:
Slate99 said:
Baby Huey said:
Plenty of people believe Al-Megrahi to be innocent, I think that may be why he
is being treated with leniency.
Surely if this is the case then it is the wrong way to deal with it. If he is innocent his sentence should be removed from his record. He should be re trialed and not let free. ( I am aware that my knowledg or crimial law is limited) but it seems so wrong to me.
You are absolutely corect. It is typical of this government's disregard for the law that they go abou this in such a manner. If there are doubts about his conviction, the DPP should take another look at the case. It is unacceptable to release a convicted prisoner without any judicial redetermination of his guilt if the reason for the release is doubt as to the safety of the conviction.
I suggest you read a bit more about the case then, because your last sentence is a misrepresentation of the truth.
Yes, I know he has advanced prstate cancer and the official reason for the release is clemency in view of his condition. That doesn't remove the suspicion that there are doubts about the safety of the conviction that contributed to the motivation to release him.

Parrot of Doom

23,075 posts

264 months

Thursday 13th August 2009
quotequote all
mattviatura said:
I don't believe convicted murderers should be released pending legal appeal, regardless of the circumstances.

You are of course entitled to your opinion Parrot.
Tell that to the family of Stefan Kiszko, or the Guildford Four.

Your black and white opinion of justice is remarkably naive.