Fiancee flies in to see airport hero

Oct 11 2008

The fiancee of Glasgow Airport car bomb hero John Smeaton flew in from the US to be at his hospital bedside after an asthma attack.

Christy MacPhedran, 32, headed straight to Paisley's Royal Alexandra Hospital to be with the former baggage handler after he was admitted on Thursday night.

It came as the two men accused of the airport attack went on trial.

Hospital bosses said on Saturday he remained stable. It is thought he will be taken off his ventilator in the next few days.

A source said: "Christy flew over from the US and is by his bedside this morning. She went straight to the hospital."

The couple are planning to set up home together in the US.

The former baggage handler has regularly written about his poor health in a national newspaper column.

Sources said a similar asthma attack a decade ago almost killed him.

Bilal Abdulla, 29, and Mohammed Asha, 28, went on trial at Woolwich Crown Court, south-east London, on Thursday accused of attempting to murder hundreds of people with car bombs in London and Glasgow.

Mr Smeaton, now known by his nickname Smeato, is in the hospital where Abdulla was working as a junior house officer in general surgery at the time of the airport attack.