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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Jailed marine Sgt Alexander Blackman was 'morally disengaged' | Jailed marine Sgt Alexander Blackman was 'morally disengaged' |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| A Royal Marine jailed for the murder of a Taliban insurgent was "morally disengaged" and showed "poor leadership", a review has found. | A Royal Marine jailed for the murder of a Taliban insurgent was "morally disengaged" and showed "poor leadership", a review has found. |
| The Royal Navy internal review looked at events surrounding the shooting of an injured captive by Sgt Alexander Blackman in Afghanistan four years ago. | The Royal Navy internal review looked at events surrounding the shooting of an injured captive by Sgt Alexander Blackman in Afghanistan four years ago. |
| It said he let professional standards "slip to an unacceptably low level". | It said he let professional standards "slip to an unacceptably low level". |
| Blackman also had difficulty switching his mindset from killing his enemy to giving them first aid, it added. | Blackman also had difficulty switching his mindset from killing his enemy to giving them first aid, it added. |
| 'Shuffle off' | 'Shuffle off' |
| The killing, on 15 September 2011, took place after a patrol base in Helmand province came under fire from two insurgents. | The killing, on 15 September 2011, took place after a patrol base in Helmand province came under fire from two insurgents. |
| One of the insurgents was seriously injured by gunfire from an Apache helicopter sent to provide air support and the marines found him in a field. | One of the insurgents was seriously injured by gunfire from an Apache helicopter sent to provide air support and the marines found him in a field. |
| Footage from another marine's helmet-mounted camera showed Blackman shooting the Afghan prisoner in the chest with a 9mm pistol. | Footage from another marine's helmet-mounted camera showed Blackman shooting the Afghan prisoner in the chest with a 9mm pistol. |
| A court martial board heard that Blackman told him: "There you are. Shuffle off this mortal coil." | A court martial board heard that Blackman told him: "There you are. Shuffle off this mortal coil." |
| Blackman's senior rank meant that others in his patrol were put off questioning his orders or challenging his actions, the report said. | Blackman's senior rank meant that others in his patrol were put off questioning his orders or challenging his actions, the report said. |
| It also criticised his unit, 42 Commando, as a whole, saying it was perceived by many outside as "overly aggressive". | It also criticised his unit, 42 Commando, as a whole, saying it was perceived by many outside as "overly aggressive". |
| Despite representations however, the Brigade Commander judged its approach to be "appropriate given the circumstances", the report said. | Despite representations however, the Brigade Commander judged its approach to be "appropriate given the circumstances", the report said. |
| It went on to say a "number" of those involved directly and indirectly felt the chain of command had failed to provide them with adequate support before, during and after the court martial. | It went on to say a "number" of those involved directly and indirectly felt the chain of command had failed to provide them with adequate support before, during and after the court martial. |
| The Ministry of Defence said it was releasing the executive summary of the report in recognition of the public interest in the case. | The Ministry of Defence said it was releasing the executive summary of the report in recognition of the public interest in the case. |
| Two paragraphs have been redacted and there are no plans to publish the review in full. | Two paragraphs have been redacted and there are no plans to publish the review in full. |
| 'Extremity of exhaustion' | 'Extremity of exhaustion' |
| Blackman, of Taunton, Somerset, was convicted of murder in 2013 and lost an appeal in May last year, but his 10-year minimum term was reduced to eight years. | Blackman, of Taunton, Somerset, was convicted of murder in 2013 and lost an appeal in May last year, but his 10-year minimum term was reduced to eight years. |
| Supporters say it was manslaughter, not murder, and have launched a campaign to review the case. | Supporters say it was manslaughter, not murder, and have launched a campaign to review the case. |
| Author and campaigner Frederick Forsyth said the Ministry of Defence was trying to "pile every single thing that went wrong" in Helmand on to one sergeant. | Author and campaigner Frederick Forsyth said the Ministry of Defence was trying to "pile every single thing that went wrong" in Helmand on to one sergeant. |
| "They sent 15 men to the most dangerous square mile in the world for five-and-a-half months unvisited, unrelieved, under-resourced, and then when one man, at the extremity of exhaustion made a mistake, they are saying it was all his fault," he told BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme. | |
| Conservative MP Richard Drax, a former soldier, said Blackman was "just a man pushed to the very edge, sent to do a filthy job with his hands tied behind his back". | |
| Speaking to MPs at Westminster Hall, he said Blackman was paying a terrible price for a "momentary lapse of judgement" and called for the full review to be published. | |
| He added that Colonel Oliver Lee, Blackman's commanding officer at the time of the shooting, resigned in protest over the marine's treatment. | |
| In his resignation letter, Lee wrote that Blackman was sentenced by an authority "blind of facts that offered serious mitigation". | |
| "The cause of this is a failure of moral courage by the chain of command," he also wrote, Mr Drax told MPs. |