Marine refused leave to appeal to supreme court over Afghan shooting

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/aug/05/marine-refused-supreme-court-appeal-afghan-shooting

Version 0 of 1.

A Royal Marine found guilty of murdering a badly injured Taliban insurgent has lost the latest round of his battle to clear his name.

Sergeant Alexander Blackman asked for leave to appeal to the supreme court against his conviction, but three senior judges refused.

Blackman was convicted at a court martial in November last year of murdering the Afghan fighter. He was jailed for life and told he would have to serve at least 10 years in a civilian prison before being eligible for parole.

Blackman appealed to the court martial appeal court in London, arguing that his conviction was unsafe and the sentence handed down too severe.

The three appeal court judges ruled that the minimum term ought to be cut to eight years, concluding that the sentencing judge had not taken into account the stress Blackman was under when he shot the insurgent at point-blank range. But they decided the conviction itself was sound.

On Tuesday, Lady Justice Hallett announced that Blackman would not be allowed to take his case to the UK's highest court.

The shooting in Helmand in 2011 was recorded by chance on a head camera worn by another of the marines on his patrol. As the victim lay helpless after being wounded by helicopter fire, Blackman was seen telling his victim: "Shuffle off this mortal coil, you cunt. It's nothing you wouldn't do to us."

During his court martial in Wiltshire, Blackman said he had believed that the man was already dead, and he had fired in frustration towards the end of a hard tour during which close colleagues had been killed. But the board that heard the case dismissed his defence.

The judge advocate general, Jeff Blackett, said Blackman had to be dealt with severely to show the international community that battlefield crimes committed by UK troops would not be tolerated.

Since his conviction, Blackman's lawyers and family have fought to clear his name. His wife, Claire Warner-Blackman, has said his sentence was too severe and has highlighted the mental tension he had been under during the tour. She argues that he is no risk to society and should be released.