Parliament may debate calls for Marine to be released

More than 100,000 people have signed an e-petition asking for Sergeant Alexander Blackman to be freed and to have his murder conviction rescinded as he “defended his country from a terrorist”.

This means the petition has exceeded the threshold required for it to have a chance of being considered by the Backbench Business Committee, which decides the issues debated in the Commons time allocated to backbench MPs.

The committee meets weekly to consider requests for debate, although an MP must make a representation before it for an e-petition to be debated.

Commons Leader William Hague has notified Labour MP Natascha Engel, the committee’s chairwoman, that the petition is now eligible to be considered for debate.

The killing happened in Helmand province in 2011 while Blackman was serving with Plymouth-based 42 Commando.

The victim was an Afghan who had been seriously injured in an attack by an Apache helicopter. Blackman shot him in the chest at close range with a 9mm pistol before quoting a phrase from Shakespeare as the man convulsed and died in front of him.

Blackman told him: “There you are. Shuffle off this mortal coil.” He then turned to comrades and said: “Obviously this doesn’t go anywhere, fellas. I just broke the Geneva Convention.”

During the trial Blackman was known as Marine A.

Blackman had denied murder, saying he believed the victim was already dead. He was given a life sentence following his conviction in November 2013. He was also “dismissed with disgrace” from the Royal Marines.