The verdicts: Court timeline

1003 GMT The three trial judges, Lords Sutherland, Coulsfield and MacLean, file into court, accompanied by a fourth back-up judge, Lord Abernethy. The two accused, Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi and Al Amin Khalifa Fhimah are already waiting.

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1005 Lord Sutherland, the presiding judge, announces a guilty verdict on Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al-Megrahi. There are gasps in court then cheering from victims' relatives. Megrahi stares down, hands clasped.

1007 Lord Sutherland announces a not guilty verdict on Al Amin Khalifa Fhimah. Again, there are gasps from the public gallery. Fhimah stares straight ahead, expressionless.

1012 Lord Sutherland tells Fhimah he is free to leave the court. Fhimah stands and leaves the dock, accompanied by his legal team.

1013 Lord Sutherland moves for sentence. He reads out Megrahi's full name and family details and recounts the extent of the crime. Megrahi listens with head bowed and hands clasped.

1015 Megrahi's defence counsel, Bill Taylor QC, stands to speak. He says that his client maintains his innocence and that any sentence that is passed should run from April 5, 1999, when his client gave himself up for trial.

1018 Lord Sutherland announces that the court will adjourn until 1300, when sentence will be delivered. The four judges file out of the courtroom.

1301 Lord Sutherland begins passing sentence. Because of the seriousness of the crime he says that he will be making a recommendation to the Home Secretary that Megrahi should serve a minimum of 20 years in prison before he is considered for release, the sentence to be back-dated to April 5, 1999. Megrahi stands to listen to the sentence.

1304 The court begins to clear.

In-depth: Lockerbie verdicts

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