John Ashton

John Ashton, author, journalist and film researcher

John Ashton is a British author, journalist and film researcher who is focused on the Lockerbie Bombing of December 1988.

Maltese Double Cross

John Ashton was researcher for the controversial 1994 documentary film The Maltese Double Cross - Lockerbie about the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103. The film propounded a "drug conspiracy theory" as the motive for the bombing, but this has been ridiculed by a number of commentators such as baz (aka Barry Walker):

Having watched the version televised by Channel 4 before the "Lockerbie debate" many times I found this version of The Maltese Double Cross fascinating. It is far longer than the televised version and is significantly different.

I have long been a critic of The Maltese Double Cross and Cover-up of Convenience written by the film's researcher John Ashton and Ian Ferguson.

I have no objection to the first 1 hour and 36 minutes which was, to be honest, really very good.

My objection is to the introduction of the "drug conspiracy theory" between 1.36 and 2.16, in particular the section 1.55-2.16 and above all the blatantly fraudulent "hotel room scene" featuring Oswald Le Winter between 2.12.50 and 02.15 (which was longer than the televised version and mentioned the character "Lovejoy".)

In the far briefer televised version of Steve Donahue's "evidence" he is described as an "undercover DEA agent" with no mention of his being a convicted trafficker. The section concerning "Mr Goldberg" and his supposed meeting with Khald Jafaar is greatly different.

While some of the "evidence" is this forty-minute section (1.36-2.16) is demonstrably fabricated, my point is that even if these allegations of "contolled" drug deliveries is true, is it of any relevance to the bombing? I would also point that the only evidence in the film that drugs were recovered at Tundergarth was an article in Private Eye magazine for whom John Ashton works.

I also note that the evidence of Linda Forsyth that Matthew Gannon was sitting in 1st class was expunged although elsewhere the film claims on two other occasions that he was (once in Le Winter's staged "evidence"). The official version is that he was in Business Class.

My central criticism of Cover-up of Convenience is that most of the book was devoted to "proving" this fraudulent section of the film. Without their obsession with Khalid Jafaar (which continues to this day in the pages of Private Eye) Messrs Ashton and Ferguson might have written an important book.

Indeed without the "drug conspiracy" section The Maltese Double Cross might have been a good film. Pity Francovich didn't grasp the bomb was introduced at Heathrow.

By the same author

John Ashton, author of "Megrahi: You are my Jury"

John Ashton has written the following books and articles on the Lockerbie bombing:

1. The 2001 book "Cover-up of Convenience" by John Ashton and Ian Ferguson.
2. The 2012 book "Megrahi; You are my Jury" by John Ashton. and,
3. The 2012 article

Website

John Ashton's website is here.