Blackman’s defence team criticised for ‘tarnishing’ Marines’ reputation

THE defence used to free Marine A has tarnished the reputation of his fellow troops, the former commanding officer of his unit says today.

Sergeant Alexander Blackman had his murder conviction quashed after the Court Martial appeal heard that he shot a wounded Taliban insurgent when his regiment went “feral”.

The description was part of a defence put forward by Colonel Oliver Lee who provided evidence to say that Blackman’s unit was “gungho” and “completely out of control” following five months in Afghanistan.

But now, Major Steve McCulley, who was in charge of Blackman’s 42 Commando J Company shortly before the killing, has complained the picture painted of the troops was a “dagger through the heart” of the Marines.

Major McCulley says he has waited until Blackman’s murder acquittal before speaking out, but now wants to defend his men.

He told The Daily Telegraph: “So many people are upset. Everyone has kept quiet because at the end of the day they want the best for Alexander Blackman.

“I am not just talking for myself, I am talking for a lot of Marines right through the ranks who have been in touch with me.

“We are well trained, we are a band of brothers, we stand shoulder to shoulder and to disrespect that is getting a commando dagger and stabbing it in the heart of the corps.

“It is destroying the memory of those men who paid the ultimate sacrifice.”

Blackman will be sentenced on Friday for shooting dead a wounded Taliban insurgent during a tour of Afghanistan in 2011 and

could be released almost immediately as he has already spent three and a half years behind bars.

Major McCulley, who has been medically discharged after he was blown up by an IED during the tour, said that rather than a group of undisciplined soldiers with poor skills, as was claimed in witness statements given to the court, these were highly trained men doing the best job they could in the most dangerous square mile on earth.

His comments were echoed by Sergeant Rob Driscoll, who was leading a nearby patrol when Blackman shot the insurgent, and said that the troops were “disappointed” with the way they had been portrayed.

Many of the claims were put forward by Col Oliver Lee who took over J Company eight days before Blackman was captured on film shooting the wounded insurgent at point blank range.

Col Lee, who quit his post over Blackman’s original murder conviction, said he found a “poor” unit which had little regard for the rules of engagement, and suggested that his own unit’s discipline and restraint meant that they did not lose a single soldier.

In total, seven soldiers from the 42 Commando died and 45 were seriously wounded during the tour.

“They weren’t blown up because of complacency, that wasn’t down to poor skills, the majority of that was down to the insurgent,” Major McCulley said.

The Nad-e Ali north district of Helmand Province, where J company was based, and where it was trying to clear and hold territory, was in a very different situation from the south, where Col Lee’s 45 Commando had been rebuilding and transferring power back to the Afghans.

In the north they discovered 238 IEDs during their six-month tour, of which 53 were strikes – meaning that despite the harsh toll they still managed to neutralise 75 per cent of the devices.

In comparison, only 27 IEDs were found in the southern region during the same period.

Major McCulley said men were trying to win over the “hearts and minds” of the Afghan people by shaking hands and building schools one minute, then being shot at and seeing their friends blown up the next. “They were superb men and their skills were excellent,” he said.

When Col Lee took command the men were stopped from calling in heavy artillery support without his express consent, which he said was to limit the amount of violence. Major McCulley said that the men, who, unlike those in the south, were still coming under daily attack, felt “stranded” without the fire support they needed, and it was against this backdrop that Blackman snapped.

The new commands showed a lack of understanding of how dangerous the situation was, he said, adding that “perhaps if they hadn’t had support withdrawn we could argue that the incident might not have happened”.

Sgt Driscoll, who has left the Royal Marines, said: “To have that support pulled away from you late in the tour was really, really damaging.”

He added: “We weren’t feral. The guys I was on the ground with were very professional, right until the end.”