I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS DAY’S FINALLY HERE
Marine A out in 2 weeks
THE wife of ex-marine Alexander Blackman spoke of her joy yesterday after judges ruled he will be freed within weeks.
Jubilant Claire Blackman said it was “hard to believe that this day is finally here”. Sgt Blackman was jailed for life in 2013 for shooting a dying Taliban fighter in Afghanistan. But earlier this month his murder conviction was quashed and instead he was found guilty of manslaughter. Yesterday, appeal judges re-sentenced him to seven years in jail. It will include the three-and-a-half years he has already served.
As a result, the 42-year-old, formerly known only as “Marine A”, will walk free from HMP Erlestoke in Wiltshire in just two weeks.
Supporters inside the packed courtroom cheered and cried “hip hip hooray” as Lord Chief Justice Sir John Thomas handed down the ruling.
He told the Royal Courts of Justice: “We have concluded that the sentence should be and is that he serve a determinate sentence of seven years with a direction that the time spent on remand in service custody be counted towards sentence.
“As with any person sentenced to a determinate term, his release will ordinarily be at the halfway point of the sentence.”
But the judges did not absolve the marine of all blame for shooting the enemy captive at point-blank range after a bloody firefight ® in Helmand Province. They ruled that Sgt Blackman’s action “was a deliberate killing of a wounded man” and said it had damaged “the reputation and safety of Her Majesty’s armed forces”.
Although the judges overturned the previous court martial ruling of “dismissal of disgrace”, Sgt Blackman will remain dismissed from the marines and will not return to service on his release. Outside court, his legions of supporters bellowed their support for him.
A piper played as three cheers went up for his wife Claire, who has championed her husband’s innocence for years.
Fighting
She said: “We are overjoyed at the judges’ decision to significantly reduce Al’s sentence, such that he can be released imminently.
“This is the moment that we have all been fighting hard for. It is hard to believe that this day is finally here.”
Her counsel Jonathan Goldberg QC described her as “the lioness who inspired us throughout”. He added: “She has shown that ordinary people can do extraordinary things.”
“She kept the flame alive when the legal system had completely abandoned her husband. Her courage and her dignity have been amazing.”
During the appeal the judges were told about the psychological damage suffered by Sgt Blackman while serving on the front line against the Taliban.