Judge who convicted Lockerbie bomber

Published on Tuesday 14 September 2010 18:01

THE retired Scottish judge who chaired the inquiry was one of the judges who convicted Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi of the Lockerbie bombing.

Lord MacLean sat with Lord Sutherland, Lord Coulsfield and Lord Abernethy when they found Megrahi guilty of mass murder.

An Old Fettesian, Lord MacLean, 71, has been a staunch defender of the decision, once saying: "I have no doubt, on the evidence we heard, that the judgments we made, and the verdicts we reached, were correct."

After retiring from the bench in 2005, Lord Maclean has also been chairing the inquiry into the C difficile outbreak at the Vale of Leven Hospital.

He is a member of the Judicial Appointments Board for Scotland, responsible for the selection of new judges and sheriffs. He has chaired a series of boards to adjudicate and investigate controversial areas of law and events, including the committee to review the sentencing and treatment of serious sexual and violent offenders.

He is a past chairman of the council of the Cockburn Association.