On Wednesday, The Times reported that a certain Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al-Megrahi had gone missing – prompting outrage from politicians in Scotland and the United States.

One of the conditions of his release on compassionate grounds was that he stay in touch with the authorities in Scotland after his release. He is, after all, not (strictly speaking) a free man. And, in the words of The Examiner, “Libya just isn’t one of those countries where the authorities don’t know where people are.”

Contrary to the impression given by some commentators it was not a condition of realease that he actually die of prostate cancer within three months – but the coming and going of those 90 days have been noted on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.

In any event, it all turned out to be a false alarm and the hard working social work officials from East Renfrewshire Council have managed to track him down. Good job!

Maybe we should let them take a crack at finding Bin Laden next?

Posted on Absolvitor: Scots Law Online.