William Taylor QC

William Taylor, QC has been a Scottish advocate since 1971 and a QC since 1986. Mr Taylor has also been a barrister in England and Wales since 1990 and a QC there since 1998. He has specialised in criminal defence work since the 1980s.

The Lockerbie trial

William Taylor QC acted as Senior Counsel for Abdelbaset al-Megrahi during the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing trial from May 2000 to January 2001, and during the subsequent appeal in January to March 2002.

SCCRC

Taylor was reappointed Commissioner at the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission by Royal Warrant from January 1, 2002 for a further fixed term of four years expiring on December 31, 2005. However, he undertook to resign immediately from the SCCRC if his former client Megrahi were to apply to the Commission for a review of the case. Megrahi applied on September 23, 2003 and Taylor duly resigned on the same day. In a tribute to one of the founding Commissioners, the SCCRC chairman said: "The Commission greatly values the service which Mr Taylor has given to the Commission over the past four years. I understand and appreciate Mr Taylor's position in deciding to take this course of action."

Lord Fraser's remarks

As reported in The Sunday Times of 23 October 2005, the former Lord Advocate Lord Fraser of Carmyllie, who initiated the Lockerbie prosecution, said of the main prosecution witness at the Lockerbie trial, Tony Gauci:

"Gauci was not quite the full shilling. I think even his family would say...... ...

...

Read More