Lockerbie's Indelible Stain

Here is a letter published in The Scotsman newspaper from Iain McKie, who's daughter an ex-policewoman, was wrongly alleged to have left a fingerprint at the scene of a murder. Miss McKie always vehmently denied they were her prints that had been found, as she had never been to the scene of the crime, and after years of persecution, not to mention facing prosecution through the Scottish courts, it eventually came to light that her fingerprint had been wrongly identified, and that the Scottish Crown office had known about the mis-idefication all along but had proceeded in their accusations against McKie nevertheless.

http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/letters.cfm?id=1655982007

"As Lockerbie is once again thrust into the public conscience, I challenge everyone who aspires to a true and just Scotland to ensure that this tragedy is constantly at the forefront of his or her mind.

The dissembling dishonesty that cast a shadow over every aspect of the Lockerbie investigation has left an indelible stain on Scottish justice and remains an insult to the memory of the 270 souls who perished over 18 years ago.

It has corrupted a once respected system of jurisprudence forged over the centuries from the Scottish Enlightenment and demeans the worldwide legacy of Scots like David Hume and Robert Burns.

We now live in a culture that favours political expediency, lying and mediocrity, over openness and accountability. As governments at home and abroad pledge to fight terrorism at every turn, their silence on the biggest outrage ever perpetrated in the UK is truly terrifying.

As Burns put it, "There's nane ever fear'd that the truth should be heard, but they whom the truth would indite." As a Scot, I believe it is my duty to fight for the truth about Lockerbie to be heard because that single injustice encapsulates everything that I loathe and despise about our otherwise great country.

IAIN A J McKIE, South Beach Road, Ayr