Brighton marine Alexander Blackman, who was jailed for shooting dead an injured Taliban fighter in Afghanistan, has had his murder conviction reduced to manslaughter.
Sergeant Alex Blackman, 42, from Bevendean, wasn’t present to hear the verdict of the five Court Martial Appeal Court judges in London this morning (Wednesday 15 March).
Blackman was jailed for life in 2013 and was recently refused bail. He will have to wait until a further hearing takes place to learn what sentence he will be given for the Taliban fighter’s death.
The court said that Blackman was guilty of “manslaughter on the ground of diminished responsibility” having considered fresh medical evidence about his state of mind during a “tour from hell”.
