SERGEANT ALEXANDER BLACKMAN

WHEN the man known only as Marine A was jailed for life in 2013, having been convicted of murder for killing a mortally wounded Taliban insurgent, the Ministry of Defence and the military top brass saw his life sentence as a fitting punishment and were happy to see him rot behind bars.

Mr Blackman’s conviction was reduced following a lengthy High Court battle, and he is now free. The arguments presented at appeal was that the original sentence did not fit the crime committed by a soldier with an exemplary record, under unimaginable battlefield pressure on the Afghanistan ‘tour from hell’.

The lessons of this case must be learned. In particular, the actions of senior military figures who willingly and deliberately suppressed a report on mitigating factors to cover up their own incompetence and leadership failings.

We should now wish Mr Blackman all the best for the future.