Ex-Royal Marine Admits Killing Wounded Men As He Backs Marine A

A former Royal Marine and top author has admitted killing two wounded men as he spoke out in defence of Marine A.

Neal Ascherson said he shot dead two "hideously wounded" guerrillas during the Malayan Emergency in 1952.

He said that British judges, who sentenced Sergeant Alexander Blackman to life in prison for murdering a wounded Afghan captive, had failed to understand the context of battle.

He joins thousands of people, including a number former military figures, to voice concerns over the treatment of Blackman.

The Sergeant is appealing the sentence next month.

Speaking to The Times, the 84-year-old compared his actions in 1952 with those of his fellow soldier almost 60 years later.

"In context, perhaps both of us were overcome by instincts stronger than the wrongness of killing."

“Did he shoot out of pity, or out of frantic loss of control, or to make sure that his squad made it back across a killing ground without the burden of a wounded prisoner? Whichever his motive, Blackman’s act was ‘culpable homicide’ — manslaughter — and to call it murder is a tragic failure of justice.”

The author admitted "the wrong" of taking a life had never left him.

After finding the guerrillas badly injured he said:

"I don’t remember a moment’s hesitation or doubt about what to do: I pointed my carbine and put them both out of their misery."

Ascherson became an author after leaving the Royal Marines and fighting in the same 42 Commando unit as Blackman.

Sergeant Blackman was initially convicted after footage taken from a colleague's helmet showed him killing the Taliban fighter in 2011.

Following the killing, Blackman was heard saying he had broken the Geneva convention. An independent court martial found him guilty of murder.

It is illegal to kill the enemy if he is wounded or disarmed. The Ministry of Defence said they respect the decision of the court and will continue to co-operate with any legal process.

But despite the conviction, many, including his local MP believe that combat stress led to the killing and the conviction should be overturned and more than 100,000 people have signed a petition calling for it to be quashed.

More: 'Marine A' In Bid For Bail