Hugs, bagpipes and champagne as supporters celebrate legal victory

IT WAS a moment that was greeted with unbridled joy by those who had campaigned so passionately and with unswerving determination.
By The Newsroom
Published 29th Mar 2017, 07:38 BST
Updated 8th Apr 2017, 22:30 BST
Supporters of Alexander Blackman celebrate outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London.Supporters of Alexander Blackman celebrate outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London.
Supporters of Alexander Blackman celebrate outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London.

As news emerged that the campaign to free Royal Marine Alexander Blackman had finally resulted in victory, scores of veterans hugged and cheered outside London’s Royal Courts of Justice.

They gathered after learning that Blackman, 42, from Taunton in Somerset, could be released within weeks following his sentencing for the manslaughter of an injured Taliban fighter in Afghanistan in 2011.

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Bagpipes were played, champagne corks popped and motorists honked their vehicles’ horns as they drove past the jubilant scenes.

Former Royal Marine Sergeant Alexander Blackman. Picture: Andrew Parsons/PA WireFormer Royal Marine Sergeant Alexander Blackman. Picture: Andrew Parsons/PA Wire
Former Royal Marine Sergeant Alexander Blackman. Picture: Andrew Parsons/PA Wire

High-ranking retired officers from all three armed services and injured comrades, all sporting an impressive array of medals, have been among those who have attended court hearings to support Blackman and his wife, Claire.

Don Bailey, 73, from East Sussex, who also served with 42 Commando, described it as the end of a “sorry saga which has gone on for far too long”. Mr Bailey, who was in the Royal Marines for 10 years, said Blackman “should have been released a long time ago”, adding: “People do not really understand the pressure he was under at that time.”

Falklands War veteran Jeff Williams, 59, from Birmingham, who served as a sergeant major in the Royal Marines, said he was “overwhelmed”. And David Robb, who was the youngest Royal Marine at 17 to serve in the Falklands War, said he felt “elation”.