Appeal delay for aid worker's killer

AN IRAQI architect convicted of the murder of a British aid worker had his appeal postponed.

Ali Lutfi Jassar claims he was out of the country at the time of the killing.

Irish-born Mrs Hassan, 59, director of Care international in Iraq, was among the highest- profile figures to fall victim to the wave of kidnappings that swept the country in 2004.

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Jassar was convicted of kidnapping, murder and extortion and sentenced to life in prison. A retrial had been scheduled for yesterday, but the lawyer for Mrs Hassan's family, Sarmad al-Sarraf, said it had been postponed until 18 April while authorities try to determine whether Jassar was out of Iraq, as he claims.

Mrs Hassan was taken hostage on her way to work in Baghdad in October 2004 and shot dead just under a month later.

Jassar was jailed in June last year, but in November he was granted the right to a retrial and Mrs Hassan's family fear he might now have his sentence cut or even be released. This might dash their hopes of finding her body so they can bring her back to Britain for burial.

The victim's sister, Deirdre Manchanda, said: "We want Ali Lutfi Jassar to stay in prison because he's claimed many, many times in these transcripts to know where Margaret's remains are.

"We want to find our sister's remains because we want to bring her home to be buried and we want justice for her."

Jassar was arrested in 2008 after contacting the British Embassy in Baghdad and attempting to extort $1 million (654,000) in return for leading them to Mrs Hassan's body.