Detective Roxburgh on Intel and Dextar

3 November 2010

Following is a key portion of the testimony of detective Douglas Roxburgh, Dumfries and Galloway Police. (Trial day 4, May 8 2000, pp 546-548) Earlier he talked of his work administering the main evidence store. Roxburgh recalled how he was tasked with establishing and running this effort, and secured the building from the Dextar company. It came into use on 23 December, and remained under his general control thereafter. Under questioning by Richard Keen for the defense, Roxburgh was brought to a few very interesting points. (Highlighted)
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Q Mr. Roxburgh, shortly after you took up your duties at Lockerbie, did you become aware of the presence of a group known as the Joint Intelligence Group?
A At Lockerbie?
Q At Lockerbie.
A I was aware that they operated there, yes.
Q And you were aware that this comprised members of the British Intelligence Services and of certain foreign intelligence services?
A I was never involved directly in it, so I'm afraid I can't answer that.
Q I was going to ask, Mr. Roxburgh, were you ever kept informed of the activities of the Joint Intelligence Group at Lockerbie?
A No.
Q During the course of your duties at Lockerbie, did you have to attend management meetings with the chief constable?
A Yes, I did.
Q And do you recollect raising, at one of the earliest management meetings, your concern that agencies other than the police were dealing with property at the site of the disaster, and expressed concern that some property was being removed without being recorded in the property system at Dextar?
A Yes, I did. As far as I can recall, I did raise that on one occasion.
Q Can you now recall specific instances of property being removed without being recorded in the property system at Dextar?
A I can't recall specific -- I remember raising that at a meeting. Yes, I did. And the reason being, I believed that someone had taken off property, where there had been possible traces of explosion, from the site. Now, I can't remember who it was now, whether it was the Air Accident Investigation Branch  had been out in the field and had removed a piece of aircraft wreckage. And I was concerned that things weren't -- that that shouldn't happen; that things should be properly recorded. I think that was in the early days, when there were an urgency to determine the reason for the aircraft being destroyed. And I think that's what it was.
Q In the early days, when there was some urgency in the inquiry, property was being removed without being recorded in the property system at Dextar?
A Something -- I can't honestly recall the incident. I seem to remember it was something to do with a piece of aircraft wreckage that had been taken off for examination without going  through the police system. Now, I can't honestly remember what it was. I do remember --
Q You were sufficiently concerned to raise that at the management meeting chaired by the chief constable?
A Yes. My philosophy at Dextar was that everything would be recorded meticulously.
Q You said at one stage that the police always accompanied debris to the Dextar warehouse?
A As far as I am aware, yes.
Q Well, how does that square with your recollection that, for example, the public would occasionally bring property to the Dextar warehouse?
A Well, they obviously weren't accompanied by police officers. What has happened, the members of the public would find a piece of aircraft around Lockerbie...
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It gets tedious from there.
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