A little less than four months ago, in this entry, I noted that "compassion"  --  the ever-present cry of the criminal defense bar  --  was being invoked, as usual, to bring about undeserved leniency for a hoodlum.  What was different this time was that it was no ordinary hoodlum.  It was the mastermind of the Lockerbie bombing.  He was being released, so we were told, because, due to cancer, he had three months or less to live.  As the London Evening Standard put it at the time:

Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill defied pressure from Washington and the relatives of many of the 270 victims to order the release.

He said the Scottish people pride themselves on their "humanity" and that al-Megrahi was now facing a sentence from a "higher power".

He added: "Mr al-Megrahi did not show his victims any comfort or compassion. They were not allowed to return to the bosom of their families to see out their lives, let alone their dying days.

"But that alone is not a reason for us to deny compassion to him and his family in his final days. Our justice system demands that judgment be imposed but compassion be available."

 

What it actually turns out to demand is outright fraud on behalf of mass murderers.  It appears that. lo and behold, Mr. al-Megrahi will live indefinitely.  The "three months" was, um, you know, kind of a guess.  Or, somewhat less generously,  it seems that the whole thing was a pack of lies.

Moral of story:  When you start to hear the braying about compassion, watch your wallet.