Heathrow link to Lockerbie bomb

Fresh evidence emerged today that the bomb on Pam Am Flight 103, which exploded over Lockerbie in Scotland, was loaded in London.

A former Heathrow security guard - giving evidence for the defence at the appeal of Libyan Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi, who was jailed for life for murdering 270 people in the 1988 atrocity - told how he discovered a break-in at a baggage area hours before the flight.

The account given by Philip Radley, who was duty officer in charge of the airport's Terminal 3, is of crucial importance because Al Megrahi was last year found guilty of putting the bomb on board as unaccompanied baggage in Malta. The suitcase was then transferred to flight 103 at Frankfurt.

The evidence of the alleged break-in at Heathrow was not heard during his original trial.

Mr Radley today appeared before five judges sitting under Scottish jurisdiction in a special court in Zeist, Holland.

He described how Terminal 3's "landside" - where passengers arrive to check in - was separated from the restricted " airside" by two thick rubber doors at the end of a corridor. The doors were secured by a 4ft-long iron bar and a padlock. Security guards were on duty on each side of the doors.

Mr Radley said he was on the nightshift on 20 December when his supervisor called to tell him that the padlock on the doors had been broken.

A guard was placed on the doors - designated T3 2a and T3 2b - until the morning, when a replacement padlock was found.

The court was shown Mr Radley's log book for the night, including an entry recorded at 12.35am on 21 December: "Door at T3 2a lock broken off".

Questioned by Alistair Campbell-QC, for the prosecution, Mr Radley explained that baggage handlers working airside would pass through the doors at the start and end of their shifts.

If their finishing times were delayed - as was the case on 20 December - the doors would be locked and the handlers would have to take a longer route out of the terminal. The court heard that handlers had complained about having to do so.

But Mr Radley said the detour only added "a couple of minutes", and that he could not recall any previous incident in which staff had forced open locked doors.

The hearing continues.