UK Families Flight 103, the UK group of relatives of those lost in the Lockerbie air disaster today said it was difficult to see any justification in today's decision to refuse bail to the dying Megrahi.

"It seems tragic that Scottish justice has missed a golden opportunity to display mercy in a situation where it has been unable to complete the appeal process within a reasonable time frame. It must bear some responsibility for the dilemmas posed by having a dying man in its custody, whose guilt or innocence it still has not finally decided," the group said in a statement.

" Prime Minister William Gladstone's words "justice delayed is justice denied" may come to have a terrible resonance for Mr Megrahi, and will now interminably stalk the future reputation of Scottish justice."

The statement, prepared by Dr jim Swire, can be read in full below.

"Interim release is usually only granted where a prisoner's appeal appears to have a serious prospect of success.

In Mr Megrahi's case, the SCCRC decided after three years of scrutiny that his trial might have been a miscarriage of justice. Against that finding it does not look as if his petition for interim release could have failed to meet that criterion.

The possibilities of further offending or of absconding in this case are reduced almost to the absurd by the pernicious mix of a deadly illness, and the high public profile which this man endures.

The briefest look at the actions of the Libyan regime over the last 8 years or so indicates that any inappropriate or clandestine intervention on their part would be totally illogical and extremely counterproductive to their recent progress internationally.

It is difficult therefore to see what justification there could be for today's decision.

It is of course true that with so many victims' relatives involved there would have been harsh criticism from some had he been released, and for some of those it would have caused real distress.

It has however never been a goal of our group to seek revenge, and the refusal of a return to his family for a dying man, whose verdict is not even yet secure, looks uncomfortably like either an aspect of revenge or perhaps timidity.

It seems tragic that Scottish justice has missed a golden opportunity to display mercy in a situation where it has been unable to complete the appeal process within a reasonable time frame. It must bear some responsibility for the dilemmas posed by having a dying man in its custody, whose guilt or innocence it still has not finally decided.

Prime Minister William Gladstone's words "justice delayed is justice denied" may come to have a terrible resonance for Mr Megrahi, and will now interminably stalk the future reputation of Scottish justice.

No doubt the prisoner will now apply to Kenny MacAskill for release on compassionate grounds. Personally I hope that he does, and that he succeeds. A mix of compassion and courage is required. Both Christian virtues I believe."