Marine who shot Taliban fighter wins appeal against murder conviction

A ROYAL Marine who shot an injured Taliban fighter in Afghanistan has won an appeal against his murder conviction.
Claire Blackman, the wife of Alexander Blackman, arrives at the High Court in LondonClaire Blackman, the wife of Alexander Blackman, arrives at the High Court in London
Claire Blackman, the wife of Alexander Blackman, arrives at the High Court in London

Sergeant Alexander Blackman, 42, from Taunton, Somerset, had the conviction quashed by five judges at the Court Martial Appeal Court in London.

They replaced it with manslaughter on the ground of diminished responsibility.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

There will now be a further hearing at a date to be fixed to decide on the sentence he now has to serve.

Former Royal Marine Sergeant Alexander BlackmanFormer Royal Marine Sergeant Alexander Blackman
Former Royal Marine Sergeant Alexander Blackman

Blackman, who was not present for the ruling in the packed courtroom on Wednesday, was convicted in November 2013 by a court martial in Bulford, Wiltshire, and sentenced to life with a minimum term of 10 years.

The minimum term was later reduced to eight years because of the combat stress disorder he was suffering from.

His wife, Claire Blackman, said she was “delighted” by the decision, saying it “much better reflects the circumstances that my husband found himself in during that terrible tour of Afghanistan”.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Blackman - known as Marine A - became the first British serviceman convicted of murder on a foreign battlefield since the Second World War.

Former Royal Marine Sergeant Alexander BlackmanFormer Royal Marine Sergeant Alexander Blackman
Former Royal Marine Sergeant Alexander Blackman

This is how the case unfolded:

2011

• March - Sgt Blackman deploys to Helmand province with 42 Commando as part of Op Herrick XIV. His unit is sent to Nad-e Ali, where it sees heavy fighting. Several marines are killed, including Sgt Blackman’s troop commander, and others are maimed.

• September 15 - Taliban insurgents attack a small British patrol base. The attack is repelled with the aid of a British Apache helicopter gunship. Sgt Blackman and his marines are on patrol and sent to look for the fleeing attackers. They find one, lying gravely wounded, in the middle of a field. Sgt Blackman shoots him in the chest with his pistol. The killing is captured on helmet camera by one of the patrol.

2012

• September - The video of the incident is found on a Royal Marine’s laptop during an investigation by civilian police into another alleged crime. A police investigation begins.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

• October 11 - Seven unnamed Royal Marines are arrested on suspicion of murder.

2013

• October 23 - Sgt Blackman and two others go on trial at the Court Martial Centre in Bulford, Wiltshire, accused of murder. He is only identified as Marine A and his comrades as Marines B and C. They give evidence from behind screens. All three plead not guilty.

• November 8 - Sgt Blackman is found guilty of murder. The two other marines are acquitted.

• December 5 - A court rules Sgt Blackman, still only known to the world as Marine A, should be stripped of his anonymity.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

• December 6 - Sgt Blackman, from Taunton, Somerset, is given a life sentence and told he must serve a minimum of 10 years in a civilian prison.

2014

• May 22 - Sgt Blackman loses a Court of Appeal bid to overturn his life sentence. His minimum term is cut from 10 years to eight.

2015

• September - A high-profile campaign begins to have Sgt Blackman freed, led by his wife Claire.

• December 16 - 1,100 pages of new evidence are handed into the Criminal Cases Review Commission in an attempt to have the conviction sent back to the Court of Appeal.

2016

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

• December - The CCRC concludes there is a “real possibility” of overturning the conviction, and grants an appeal. Later the same month, the Lord Chief Justice refuses a bid to grant bail, after prosecutors challenge new psychiatric evidence about his mental state at the time of the killing.

• December 21 - Sgt Blackman loses a bid to be released on bail in time for Christmas ahead of his appeal hearing.

2017

• February 7 - Five judges, Lord Chief Justice Lord Thomas, Sir Brian Leveson, Lady Justice Hallett, Mr Justice Openshaw and Mr Justice Sweeney, begin hearing an appeal brought by Sgt Blackman to overturn his murder conviction at the Court Martial Appeal Court in London.

• March 13 - The Court Martial Appeal Court announces the appeal ruling will be given on March 15.

• March 15 - Sgt Blackman has his murder conviction replaced with manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility by the Court. A new sentence will be set at a later date.