Marine A Could Have Conviction Quashed By Appeals Court
A former Royal Marine serving a life sentence for murdering a wounded Afghan captive faces the "real possibility" of having his conviction quashed following the presentation of new evidence, an independent review has found.
The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) has decided to refer Sgt Alexander Blackman's case to the Courts-Martial Appeal Court following an in-depth eleven-month long investigation.
Blackman was found guilty of murder at a Court Martial at the Military Court Centre, Bulford, Wiltshire, in 2013.
The reasons for the appeal being granted have been released in a statement from the CCRC.
"New evidence, including new expert evidence acquired by the Commission, relating to Mr Blackman's mental state at the time of the offence.
The fact that an alternative verdict of unlawful act manslaughter was not available to the board when it considered the case.
The independent commission usually receives around 1500 applications for review every year."
Typically only one case in twenty-nine is referred up to the appeal courts.
Alexander Blackman was convicted of murder after shooting dead a wounded enemy combatant in Afghanistan on 15th September 2011.
Mr Blackman, known throughout the trial as Marine A, pleaded not guilty when tried for murder.
He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum custodial term of ten years.
In May 2014 the appeal against the conviction was dismissed but the Court reduced the minimum custodial term of his life sentence to eight years.
He was also reduced to the ranks and dismissed with disgrace from Her Majesty's Service.
David James Smith lead CCRC Commissioner on the case, said:
"We have scrutinised this murder conviction in minute detail and after a thorough investigation we have concluded that there are new issues - principally relating to Mr Blackman's state of mind at the time of the shooting - which in our view raise a real possibility that an appeal against conviction would now succeed. On that basis we are sending the case back to the Courts Martial Appeal Court so that a fresh appeal can be heard."
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