Going home... in just 2 weeks
Marine A’s joy at release... and to Mail readers, his ‘heartfelt’ thanks
ALEXANDER Blackman offered his ‘ profound and heartfelt’ thanks to Daily Mail readers last night after learning he will be freed within weeks.
The Royal Marine declared himself stunned and overwhelmed with gratitude to those who had campaigned for justice after military top brass left him to rot in prison.
Judges yesterday slashed his sentence for killing a Taliban fighter, meaning he is likely to be home by Easter.
As the momentous decision was announced, Sgt Blackman’s wife Claire shed tears of joy, while scores of Royal Marines cheered and punched the air.
It sealed a stunning victory for the campaign for justice for Sgt Blackman – called Marine A during his military trial – who was jailed for life in 2013 for killing the insurgent in Afghanistan in 2011.
Daily Mail readers raised £810,000 to fund a fresh appeal that led to Sgt Blackman’s conviction being reduced from murder to manslaughter on the basis of diminished responsibility.
Five Appeal Court judges led by the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Thomas, accepted he had been suffering from combat stress.
Yesterday they cut his sentence to seven years, of which he will serve half.
As he has already served almost three and a half years, he is likely to be released in about a fortnight’s time. He
‘The moment we’ve been fighting for’
was previously serving life with a minimum of eight years – the equivalent of a 16-year sentence.
Last night Sgt Blackman, 42, said: ‘My profound and heartfelt thanks go to the Daily Mail’s readers.
‘Without them we wouldn’t be anywhere near this today. I am honestly struggling to find words of gratitude that are deep enough to describe the Mail readers who came to my aid. I am just stunned and overwhelmed by their generosity.
‘I am so relieved and happy with the results. It could have been a lot worse, and I was braced for the worst.
‘My heart sank when the judge started talking about my current sentence being the equivalent of 16 years, and I thought it was somehow leading to a larger sentence. I just felt a profound sense of relief when they said seven.’
Outside court, Mrs Blackman, 45, said: ‘This is the moment that we have all been fighting hard for. It’s hard to believe that this day is finally here.’
She also thanked John Davies, a former Marine who has spent three years rallying support even though he had never met Sgt Blackman before he was jailed.
Richard Drax, the MP who led the campaign in the Commons, told the crowd: ‘The sun is shining, and clearly upon the righteous. Justice is seen to be done.’
And Sgt Blackman’s lawyer Jonathan Goldberg QC praised Mrs Blackman for never giving up, declaring: ‘The lioness who inspired us throughout was Mrs Claire Blackman.
‘She has shown that ordinary people can do extraordinary things. She kept the faith alive when the legal system had completely abandoned her husband and thrown him into the trash can. Her courage and dignity have been amazing.’
Sgt Blackman later told the Mail: ‘I am an extremely lucky man to have Claire as a wife. We hear so many other stories of relationships going bad when you are inside. That hasn’t happened for us. Her love and support has simply sustained me.’
A Mail investigation had revealed vital evidence was ‘deliberately withheld’ from the court martial during Sgt Blackman’s original trial.
Thriller writer Frederick Forsyth, who was in court yesterday, said the ‘villains’ who locked up Sgt Blackman should ‘hang their heads in shame’. As well the mur- der stain now being lifted from his character, Sgt Blackman’s dismissal ‘with disgrace’ from the Royal Marines – which his wife had said was the most cruel part of his punishment – has also been reduced to simply dismissal.
The judges said Sgt Blackman – who admits doing wrong – still bore heavy responsibility for the killing in Helmand Province. But they found the incident was not a ‘cold-blooded execution’.
The Commandant General of the Royal Marines, Major General Robert Magowan, said it was time to ‘move forward’ from the Blackman episode. He said the Marines would continue to support Sgt Blackman and his wife.