A Royal Marine jailed for life for killing a Taliban insurgent was robbed of justice after crucial evidence was ‘deliberately withheld’ from his court martial, it is claimed today.
It meant Sergeant Alexander Blackman – believed to be the only British serviceman ever convicted of murder on the battlefield – was locked up as a ‘political scapegoat’ for failings by top brass, say supporters.
Today a campaign spearheaded by legendary thriller writer Frederick Forsyth is being launched to mount a fresh legal appeal to free Blackman.
The jailing of the veteran commando, known as ‘Marine A’ at his court martial in 2013, triggered a public outcry.
Now a painstaking Mail investigation can reveal:
- Evidence that might have resulted in a lesser charge of manslaughter was ‘deliberately withheld’;
- A high-flying colonel who was blocked from telling the truth to the court martial called it ‘a failure of moral courage by the chain of command’;
- The colonel was so disgusted that he resigned his commission;
- Court martial panel members sent a message to Blackman – who is eligible for parole after eight years – apologising for the length of his sentence.
The Mail has seen confidential papers claiming the panel members who decided Blackman’s fate were deliberately kept in the dark and were therefore ‘blind to facts’ that would help him.
The court martial was never given evidence of alleged key operational failings by his commanders that meant his troop was scandalously isolated, under-manned, under-resourced and under daily Taliban assault – all directly affecting his state of mind at the time of the shooting. This led to Blackman not receiving a fair trial, it is claimed.
