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Tuesday 17 December 2013

ROYAL PARDON FOR MARINE A?





I support the calls for Marine A to receive a Royal Pardon.

As I understand it the facts in this case came to light several years after the event when his comrade who had recorded the whole incident on a helmet video cam-recorder was being investigated for something else and the police looked through his computer and found that he had downloaded and kept the clip of the incident.

Marine A’s response to this seems to have been to lie about it and try to say that he thought the wounded Taliban was already dead. This dishonest response coupled with his comment at the time to his comrades that the incident should “go no further” and that he had breached the “Geneva Convention” showed that Marine A was well aware that he had not only disobeyed orders but also had broken the law. The question however does remain what is the appropriate punishment for this incident?

In my view British Forces should not be in Afghanistan anyway and certainly should not be there in the current political situation where we are in effect propping up a corrupt government and thereby facilitating a vast upsurge in opium production. The direction of travel in the Afghan government in any case is to become ever more Islamist and no doubt as soon as Western troops are removed the Taliban will take-over again. Probably the whole net outcome of the intervention in Afghanistan will be that the Afghan state is far worse than what was happening before so far as our Nation’s interests are concerned. The whole intervention has cost literally billions and the lives of hundreds of our soldiers and the health of thousands of badly wounded or battled traumatised men. The Taliban have been increasingly vicious to captured soldiers and I understand before this incident occurred, not only were the limbs of captured soldiers being displayed on trees, but also at least one had been skinned alive.

In the circumstances it is not surprising that our soldiers start to feel extremely unwilling to take prisoners.

The Geneva Convention does not in fact require soldiers to take prisoners, but once they have been taken then they have to be looked after, so there may have been a legitimate issue as to whether this individual had in fact been taken prisoner. I don’t know whether this was properly argued before the Court Martial.

In any case, even if we assume that he had been taken prisoner and it was a deliberate act of murder, the fact is that the British State has put Marine A into this situation means that it owes him a duty to not treat him like any other ordinary criminal. In particular, not to put him into the civilian prison environment where he is bound to be endangered by the hundreds of Islamist gangs that now infest our prisons.

On this point it is worth noting that when “Tommy Robinson” was sent to prison he had to be kept in solitary confinement in order to protect him from these Islamist gangs! Is the British Political and Establishment really saying that Marine A should be kept in solitary confinement for 10 years for this offence?

It is however the case that Marine A has disobeyed orders and in a military context having soldiers disobey orders and try to cover up their disobedience does require some disciplinary reaction. I would have thought in this case being dismissed from the service with disgrace was sufficient acknowledgement of Marine A’s wrongdoing.

It should also be borne in mind that probably the relevant Taliban individual had been sufficiently badly wounded that he was in fact going to die anyway.

It is also difficult to see what the point of spending considerable expense and medical resources on the Taliban individual would be when even if it was possible to save him, as soon as he became healthy again he would revert to being a serious risk to our soldiers!

As Winston Churchill makes clear in his first book ‘The Malakand Field Force’, he himself and the British Army in the North West Frontier generally did not take prisoners. When they had tried to take prisoners, the then equivalent of the Taliban suicide bombers, the Ghazis would try to kill them! It therefore appears that Churchill and his comrades decided to shortcut the process and give the Ghazis the benefit of immediate martyrdom!

Had the prosecuting decision been mine, I would not have sought to convict Marine A of murder but now that he has been convicted of murder, the honourable way for the State to deal with the situation would be the very traditional one of a Royal Pardon. This would release Marine A from prison immediately but does leave him with a recognition of the fact that there has been a breach of military discipline. What the Government has said about this is no doubt deliberately deceptive. They claimed that:- "It would be inappropriate for the Government to intervene in this independent judicial process." A Royal Pardon is a perfectly proper and long standing way in which the English state has been able to keep legal decisions in tune with public opinion. This case is one where it could be used to correct an injustice.

What do you think?

108 comments:

  1. He needs to be freed now no questions just let go, I agree we should not be over there as it is not owe war, I have seen first hand what Muslims do to others when i was ion Iraq in 1991 and think everyone of them needs putting down and Islam cleaned from the world before it destroys it.

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    1. i totally agree--he was the one who fights for us--puts his life on the line--he alone had to sum up the situation--he delt with it the way he thought best--and the way he was trained--as a marine i have the greatest respect for him / them to do the right thing--as far as im concerned thats what he did and should be a free man

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    2. I am ex Green beret and I am so pissed off with all these pen pushers who think they can run our country, this guy puts his life and soul in to keeping the world a safer place and you do this to him-hang your heads in shame. he should be a free man and given a medal never mind jail. pisses me off.

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    3. due to the recent aligations against an i r a known suspects who had letters giving them freedom its wrong that this marine remains in jail he was in a war situation there as a paid soldgier his actions have saved lifes in killing an active taliban insergent

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    4. Or even, Hear, hear.
      I agree entirely that these creatures are a blot on the landscape. The term 'infested' is very apt, as Infestation refers to the state of being invaded or overrun by pests or parasites, and I'm afraid that is all they are. Look after our soldiers and airmen in that hell-hole, and try to get them home safe before we lose any more.
      Remember the sign in a shop window in Wales, 'We would rather deal with a thousand Taliban, than with one British soldier'. The sign was in the window of a funeral directors.
      This is the attitude all over Great Britain now. The trouble is - while Britain may be loved, our bad joke of a government are not

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    5. I totally agree John every word you have said!!!!!! I am not racist and never have been till now against every thing that Islam stand for... they are Barbaric! I am proud of our forces!!!!!

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    6. set the man free now.

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  2. Robin, as you say for ten years Marine A will have to be held in solitary confinement like a paedophile. In fact, the irony is he would probably be safer with the sex offenders than with our culturally enriching Mohammedans. Of course, if it had been up to Churchill then there would never have been mass third world immigration in the first place and certainly not of those for whom he did not have a good word to say i.e. those halted in their tracks - before Europe crumbled to liberal Marxism - at Poitiers and the Gates of Vienna.

    As for a royal pardon, because of what our legal system has done to this man, he would be even less safe walking the streets than Gunner Lee Rigby was. As I understand it the silly do-gooding judge has not only named him but insisted on the publication of his photo as well. There will be no country in Western Europe, North America or even Australasia where he could not be tracked down and assassinated; not even in Russia where one in five is a muslim; but with whom the Russians deal in their usual robust fashion. By the way, since the NATO intervention and ethnic cleansing of the Serbs Sarajevo is now 95% muslim.

    Mentioning Churchill brings to mind Alfred the Great as when Churchill was told he was the greatest ever Englishman he said he was not but the Alfred was. This brings me to a recent attack on me by Alfred 99. As you know, I am desperate to do more at grass roots level to help the party but my present occupation prevents me from doing so. Hopefully that will change next year and as soon as I win the lottery the EDs will be receiving a large donation from me.

    Returning to Alfred, the reference to Churchill was in a book I have just read called the Viking Blitzkrieg by Martyn Whittock. He informs us that the Marxist and others have now downgraded Alfred and rendered him persona non grata in today's multicultural and multifaith England. The reason for this is that, as Alfred 99 seems to be telling us, the Victorians made Alfred England's darling par excellence so much so that the gave a national holiday in 1899 on the anniversary of his death. As a consequence the Marxists tell us that he will be forever associated with English (should be British) imperialism and promoting him will upset those from our former empire who have been undertaking a reverse colonisation in the last 60 years. As Ian Hislop said, the empire expanded then contracted and our colonials followed us home. And Alfred was renowed for his piety and devotion and a truly Christian king who converted the defeated Guthrum to the faith - a conversion which Guthrum later abjured. To trumpet this is now taboo in our "modern multifaith society" as the C of E used to say. As Christians are being expunged from the Middle East the Tories at prayer seem to have gone a bit quiet on that one. So Alfred was actually pretty wicked in their eyes. Doubtless Churchill is next; the old racist. Hamo Thorneycroft's statue of Alfred combines his warrior status with his sword upturned to form the cross. Soon he will be removed like Lenin in Kiev.

    And now we are faced with the fracking French. The French oil company Total has just said that Britain is the prime country for shale gas exploration in Europe; apart from Romania where people are being beaten by the police for trying to stop it and the Ukraine where the Americans want Russia out for the same reason. The French seem to be saying "pas dans notre arriere-cour" as the French would not allow it.
    We are now a Franco-german economic colony and Napoleon as well as Hitler seems to have won in the end. To the French we should say "foutez-nous le camp"; enough is enough; we are now all the world's colony. England arise, please, whilst we still can.

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    1. Look, I'm just a voter. We get this anti-Marxist, anti-globalist rant with every post. Do you have any constructive proposals? Put it another way. What are you FOR?
      Clive,
      Weston-super-Mare.

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    2. Sorry Clive. Was that directed at me or anonymous?

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    3. I think that was for me not you Robin. All the so called nationalist parties are fighting globalism and globalisation. UKIP describes itself as anti-globalist. And the Marxists have brought it all about with their globalizing backers. So what is wrong with pointing it out and trying to get the message across to the voters so they realise that voting for any of the three main parties is just voting for further globalisation, globalism, marxism or both. Now we discover that nearly all the north of England is ripe for fracking and there seems nothing we can do about it. The government's attempt to stifle debate on immigration by refusing to pay benefits to the new immigrants for three months has been beaten by the EU who will get their home countries to pay. The only way to stop all immigration and to get out but that will not stop the inevitable bloodshed.

      I am trying to give you ammunition to point out to the electorate what is being done to them by these people and the reasons for it; but if you don't want to hear it then so be it.

      As Europeans and their civilisation are marginalised and overtaken the day will come soon when words are not enough and bloodshed will engulf Europe. The only way to stop it is to vote for parties that are trying to prevent armageddon. But with all the money and power in the hands of those who want to wipe away the powerhouse that was Europe the task seems to great to achieve. But that should not stop us trying. If you don't want me on board then I will cease to post.

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    4. Robin,
      I agree that a Royal Pardon may be the best that can be managed. But it would not amount to a complete exoneration. It would simply say that the Queen, for whatever reason, had decided to pardon this man. He could still have problems getting visas for some countries, insurance cover etc. In effect, in some ways he would still have a criminal record.

      But it would be better than nothing, and he would be out of prison.

      The catch is that, as far as the UK is concerned (it's different for some of her other realms), HM the Queen normally acts on the advice of her Ministers: we know who they are and what their advice would be. Very occasionally (about twice, I think) she has taken an independent line, in connection with her beloved armed forces. So she might, this time.... but I'm not holding my breath.

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    5. To Mr "Anonymous"
      I don't want you to "cease to post". You' seem to be well-informed and you write most eloquently. I'd just like to see something constructive from you.
      Who are these "marxists"? and who are these "globalists"?
      You are very certain about what and whom you oppose. What are you FOR? It would help to know.
      Clive,
      Weston-super-Mare.

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    6. As far as I I see it those Marxists are those in all the European main parties, especially those of the left, who have pushed us to the internationalist left over the last 50 plus years. A globalist is, as far as I understand it, anybody who believes in the present borderless, multicultural mish mash as opposed to the former existence of homogeneous European nation states. And globalizers are those globalists who do this to achieve the maximum accrual of wealth to themselves. As for what we do about it we can do nothing but to continue to avoid voting for the three main parties who are wedded to globalism for reasons of flawed ideology, or greed or power.

      I wish it was the 1950s and a friendly English bobby would stick out his great big mit and say "Stop" you are all either evil or stark staring raving mad, which they all are if logic and common sense are applied. Increasingly on watching Russia Today I find the Russia is still applying that traditional logic and common sense and that is why she is so villified by the liberal west who are aiming at every turn to bring her down.
      As I have posted elsewhere I can do nothing but post at the moment but one day soon I hope to be very active for the EDs at grass roots level. Interesting that Robin's calendar this year invokes the casting down of the devil by St Michael the Archangel who is the patron saint of Moscow. I am not becoming unhinged but we are now tackling a very great evil that has engulfed European Christian Civilisation.

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    7. Let him go now he was doing his duty and this is what we trained him for - jailing him will serve no purpose you have already ruined this man life and it will be hard for him to move forward - spare him any more pain as he tried to save us
      uined this man life and

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  3. One for you Robin not that I really think it matters you bob and weave but do nothing this young Sgt has been put in a prison with islamics and has already been said that he should not be in with them. Do you intend transferring him else where or close your eyes, wait for him to get killed then wash your hands as Governments usually do.

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    1. Of course this soldier who has been given the communist show-trial on the orders of Adolf Cameron, is fully able to protect himself
      against the Islamic pond-life littering our prisons.

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  4. give him a royal pardon who can say what we would have done in the same circumstance if I had see some one skinned alive or what ever horror he must have seen my anger would I am sure would have been hard to control

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  5. LET HIM GO HE WAS DOING HIS JOB

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  6. Marine A should never have been tried, he was sent to fight and kill these terrible people who want to enslave have their population and conquer the world no blood spared no prisoners taken. In those terrible circumstances he made a mistake, and only would need to be re-trained. We should support people we put under this kind of pressure. We can't fight wars with lawyers. Marine A should be freed now.

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    1. Completely agree, this marine should be freed and given a council house plus £200,000 compensation. We should be fighting a war
      of anihilation against Taliban, warlords and and farmer caught
      growing opium. When is the British Army going to be issued with
      Assasination Drones ?

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  7. Free this man,now.

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  8. https://www.facebook.com/justiceformarineA/posts/704293039594672 this is from the mother of a Royal Marine, killed in action.

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  9. https://www.facebook.com/justiceformarineA/posts/704293039594672 a letter from the mother of a Royal Marine killed in action. RIP

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  10. I think the Government and Ranking forces leaders are putting the soldiers at risk by convicting this soldier of murder. You sent him out there to kill these people as they are mutilating and hanging his friends Brothers for him to see then his mind and many others must be effected. He should be released now. Then we should stop sending troops out there as I feel it will do no good in the first place just like the Americans and Vietnam. Release Soldier A now Ex RN.

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  11. This man is a hero , he was sent to Afghanistan to do a job, a job you wouldnt find any polititian doing... he did his job and he did it well.
    Its a travesty that he was jailed for protecting us from the terrorists that kill on mass around the world almost daily. FREE THIS HERO NOW.

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  12. Free him he is in a war situation how in the hell can you get sent to prison for murder when you kill the enemy. He should get the Royal pardon he did nothing wrong. Matthew L from Swindon.

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  13. Our military risk their own lives on a daily basis to keep us safe he did what he thought was right and trained to do we are so proud of them all give him a royal pardon and let him go this is not our war without these guys and girls we would not be safe and live safely in our homes

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  14. If Tony Blair was an honourable man he would call for clemency for Marine A, since he sent our forces there on a lie and has suffered not one jot in retribution, yet!

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    1. Apparently the traitor blair is well on his way to being worth a billion pounds, while the British Army is down-sizing, issuing
      'made in Hong Kong' third rate equipment and forcing a suicidal
      ' Rules of Engagement ' on our underpaid heroes. How did we get
      to this ludicrous point?

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  15. He should be freed and doesnt need a Royal Pardon! He should also be given a new identity so he stands some chance of surviving in this increasingly violent world.

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  16. the rules of war are only going to work if both sides play by them.the scum that our forces personel are dealing with on a daily basis dont give a dam about human rights.they kill torture and rape anything human or animal that is weaker than them and cannot defend itself.the piece of garbage this brave,loyal marine killed would of most likely planted ieds at a later date if he had lived.....thus killing more of our troops.with that in mind im thinking a medal for saving the lives of countless solsiers is in order not a prison sentance.

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    1. totally agree with you Alex.But i would go one further & promote him.Being back in the marines is probably the safest place also. I would personally like to shake that mans hand,well done!

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  17. This man should be freed immediately and protected from all the muslims who will kill him and probably his family too.

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  18. There is little chance of a Royal pardon. In his summing up for the jury the judge instructed that 'Islam is one of the great religions of the world and is not on trial here'.

    I contend that it is. It appears to be the sole motivation for this wicked act, and is attributed as so by the alleged murderers.

    Additionally, at no time has this crime been referred to as one of religious or racial hatred.

    If the reverse had been true and two devout Christian white men had murdered an innocent black Muslim in the name of God all the aforementioned epithets would have been ascribed to them ad infinitum.

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    1. For quite some time now I have realised that the superstion that many sheep around the world follow is actually a Cult, not a religion at all. It is oppressive, dictatorial, destructive, cruel and evil. Everything contrary to what our country stands for. There is no place in hostile territory for p.c. It cannot be one law for one and a different for others, therefore all the war crimes against british and allied soldiers should be brought to judgement under the same reasoning as to which this marine is being judged. Why is this the first place I am reading of certain atrocities against our soldiers? Why are these barbaric occurrences not being highlighted and made public????

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  19. Its not going to go away we are going to stand together on this one serving and former marines. If it was up to me this shambles of a sytem run by pompus public school boys would get the 2nd REP treatment

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  20. its times like this i can say i am thoroughly ashamed to be BRITISH, our government are corrupt, this is the final nail in the coffin, to punish someone who has spent most of his life defending our country is an outrage, cameras are no place on a battlefield, one less taliban no matter how killed means one less person willing 2 kill our soldiers, if i had my way i would just put a bomb under the lot and bring our soldiers home

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    1. Be proud to be English instead!

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    2. He is a ENGLISHMAN in the British Army same as the other nations want recognition "so do we ENGLISHMEN" This is an ENGLISWH Blog not British.
      go an join UKIP if you want to be British.
      We want Independence from Briton be in ruled by the British .this is why England is in such a mess.This would never have happened if England had its own Constitution.

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  21. I couldn't agree more with marine A recieving a royal pardon! My brother is actively serving in 40 commando and my personal view is if it were him I would condone his actions on basis of every point made by robin Tiltbrook

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  22. totally agree but id go further & promote the guy.

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  23. Well Mr Tillbrook, tell us what we can do to overcome this predicament for this British Soldier- It's not correct- we have all got to pull together for this man an soldier of this great country- our country- our soldiers - our people.
    What?

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  24. If you want to help please sign this petition http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/56810

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  25. I have heard (ags) that he is still in the military prison as they cannot find a civilian prison with a low Muslim population. The judge has condemned Marine A and his family to life of constant danger! The judge is clearly not in touch with reality or aware of his actions!

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    1. The Judge who charged in this case is a Trustee of "Help for Heroes, some bloody help he was, If Sgt "A" is guilty of killing a man then 98% of former Marines are killers!!

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  26. Let him go he is only doing his job. Why are we over there sorting out the yanks f**k up. Pradon him and promote him.

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  27. question when at war things happen to a persons mental state has this been taken into consideration,Also as a military person should he not be in a military prison if he has to be in prison.my own thoughts are he should be released as I believe it is very hard to think clearly in that situation.

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  28. Let him go,he done us all a favour,what was he supposed to do give the terrorist a kiss,as for our spineless politicians and legal system I would not dare ssy in words what I think of them,at this moment in time I despise my own country.

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  29. I say release him now, If he had been a prisoner of the Taliban What would they have done to him, skinned him alive and displayed him for all to see, As the killer of drummer Lee said an eye for an eye.

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  30. This conviction is totally outrageous and the release of his identity an appalling act. Must be some sort of breach of Human Rights I would have thought. In effect this man and his family are living under a death sentence.

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  31. In A war hundreds if not thousands of innocent people are killed by rockets bombs and the like but that is ok because it is by order of generals ,but if a single soldier uses his training to kill a terrorist then it is called a murder, Let this man out of prison now or put all the politicians and generals in there with him

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  32. Free him, and give him his job back.

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  33. The court martial system needs addressing as its dated and unfair. Marine A has been made an example of by MOD pencil necks. Moral has notably gone down hill in the RM. As bootnecks we know that his behavior was in the eyes of the public disgraceful and his own, however put them or the pencil necks out in the field and experience life in Afgan. It would have them cowering, frozen in fear. We are trained to work in the theater of war and no its not nice its horrific. We do this to protect our people, our sovereignty the crown in the war against terror. Nightmares on return, many with PTSD and the suicide rate of all the services in our nation and others has gone up. Eminence pressure on a marine never mind a commander in charge of young men, not knowing who will be lost, when will our patrol come across an IED. We are and always will be the most professional body of men who will take on the hardest burdens in war and always with success, we make an impact. We build bridges with communities and the enemy and yet still our men are attacked time and time again. Yet everyday we try and make a difference. Then we discover the media are able to publish our names, openly show our pictures and of our families with total disregard for our safety or that of our wife's or children. There are so many ways in which one can look at this, from the marines point of view. Ideally an understanding of his job. Chris Terrell a journalist who all RM's praise has seen the immense pressures on young marines through to troop commanders. The ability to make fast decisions under contact, communications, sit reps, causality reports, locations, fire control orders, your men....it is not sitting back behind a desk pondering on the enemies fate its real split second stuff with pressure you would not believe and we learn not to flap, we look after one another, we do as we are told and we simply do the task required. We could go into the Drone attacks and is this any different, a officer and crew fly these. Know of wounded enemy and civilians and yet still go for the kill... do they face court martial? If we do house clearing, and we rush in and shoot the enemy would I at that speed want him able to discharge his firearm...no, I would want him dead as I would be going room to room as fast as I could to regain control. Is their a new rule book, another rule of engagement coming out for UKSF. If the enemy is going to get great pleasure in killing me and then display me for my fellow oppos to see and our families to hear of the horror. Then surely shoot first rather than be shot. Give us paint ball guns from now on in war, seems the enemy in the medias eyes can do no wrong so lets play nice. One angry bootneck - free Mne A

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  34. free him now he is a casualty of war as was that back shooting terrorist hat he dispatched

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  35. He should be freed now, he is a casualty of war as was that back shooting terrorist he dispatched

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  36. Release him now, they were at war. If the tables had been reversed he would now be dead and with a lot more cruelty.

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  37. I agree, let him go, the insurgents would not have shown mercy if it was the other way around!

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  38. It's not right, a royal pardon is the only way forward.

    Harry served in Afghanistan, he knows what these guys had to deal with.

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  39. free him our get out there get the ones that kill our marines

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  40. Rules of engagement are clear, but he was a frontline combat soldier, fighting a merciless enemy...Free him!

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  41. Rules of engagement are clear, but he was a frontline combat soldier, fighting a merciless enemy...Free him!

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  42. LET HIM GO NOW. Its like Jack Nicolson said in the film a FEW GOOD MEN. "THEY STAND ON A WALL A NIGHT SO WE CAN SLEEP SAFELY AT NIGHT" All hero's in my eyes .

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  43. God bless this man, he & those like him at doing a job the rest of us have'nt got the guts for.Pardon promote, &compensate him. Ashamed to be British.

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  44. God bless this man & those like him who are doing a job the rest of us haven't got the guts to do. Pardon, promote & compensate him. Ashamed to be British.

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  45. The horrors and barbarities of war are not committed by abnormal men in normal circumstances rather by normal men in abnormal circumstances where the veneer of civilisation has been stripped and replaced by a constant round of blood and death fire and destruction. An administrative internal punishment would have been more than enough. The only honourable recourse now is to free Sgt Blackman and restore all military honours as you said the insurgent was hit by a 30 mm canon shell you do not survive for long believe me. George Bremer Gunner

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  46. If this country can protect child killer s when ther are released from prison surely they can protect our armed forces aswell free marine a it was the British goverment that trained him to be a bad ass and hunt these animals down so why punish the guys for doing what they
    are trained to do

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  47. He should be granted pardon, and we should intensify our efforts to defend our way of life and our life and limb from an ideology and a physical enemy which is intent on destroying us.
    We must expose the fifth columnists in our midst too who give succour to the enemy.

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  48. the marine should be freed he was doing his job the man is innocent he was protecting us

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  49. The soldier in question was engaged to fight and defend against an enemy. This injured person was the enemy - so the soldier was doing his job. How any court with any sense cannot see that is beyond comprehension. The government/legal system is selling out our culture - one that predates Islam by thousands of years, and the last I heard, we haven't given permission for this. This soldier is being an example of to the God of political correctness - is that in the Geneva Convention? Let him go - give him an ABSOLUTE pardon!

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  50. it must be realized we are at total war with islam all muslims must be killed or all of us who wish to retain what little freedom we have will be killed, free this righteous soldier this defender of our way of life expell the the muslim hoards from our lands and end this war because carrying on the way we are is a slow death to us all........marine A is a true hero those who stand against him stand against us they are the enemy

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  51. Free him, he and his family deserves better than we are giving them.
    we embarrass ourselves by punishing this soldier for doing what we trained him for.
    No wonder these terrorists think they can get away with it

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  52. I whole heartedly agree that Marine A should be freed asap.
    It is blatantly apparent to all serving and ex service personnel that the government of the day want the military to go here there and everywhere at the drop of a hat. then shag them when any of the following are needed:- redundancies, pay cuts, priveleges, travel warrants, cut backs, medical discharges oh and of course, what happened to Marine A. It is an absolute disgrace.

    I want to see all members of the government to do a tour of duty in Afghanistan. they might think differently when and IF they came back!

    Last part of my rant. The Taliban are not signed up to the Geneva Convention and they certainly would NOT take prisoners. If they did they would be strung up as we have seen and heard in trees. So WHY WHY WHY should we be obliged to treat them with respect when all they want to do to us is KILL us? They are sick, give them as good as we get.

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  53. This Marine needs to be freed. At present he is sitting in solitary confinement for 10+ years, no hope of every recovering from his PTSD. This Marine was suffering deeply from his fathers death who he loved very much. A death in the family would have been enough to trigger PTSD. The Military Hierarchy knew this Marine was suffering but failed to have him reviewed by a psychiatrist. This Marine never should have been deployed until this was done. Secondly, while this Marine was in Afghanistan, nobody picked up he was having major issues with PTSD. This is inexcusable and a failure in duty of care. As a senior commander, it is your responsibility to manage your soldiers welfare and mental well being. Obviously this was not done. What I have noticed with the British Military, you flog your soldiers until they are exhausted, suffering severe stress, trauma, paranoia, nightmares etc resulting in PTSD. You expect your soldiers to give 100% when in actual fact their mental state is screwed. To expect a soldier to witness butchery, mutilations and soldiers body parts hanging in trees every day, tour after tour is outrageous. It goes to show the military hierarchy is incapable diagnosing soldiers with PTSD, pretending it does exist is unacceptable and failure in duty of care. Many people don't realize PTSD will affect each person differently. Some soldiers I have dealings with behaved just like Marine A, others are suffering in silence and finally, others behavior can be exceptionally violent. For example: Soldiers have picked me up, pinned to wall, feet off the ground screaming in rage and crying because he can't handle the nightmares. I had to de-esculate the situation and found all the soldier wanted was someone to listen to him. Now, do I have this soldier arrested and jailed for assault. No. We got him the medical care he required. I have been used as a punching bag, I have lost count how many times I have been assaulted. You also need to remember, it can take a situation to affect a soldiers mental state. He may be affected only a short period of time. But he will be affected. To expect this Marine to perform like a toy soldier is ridiculous and incompetent. As a matter of fact I find it disgraceful. The military hierarchy also needs to take responsibility for this situation. What I find more disgusting is continually denying this Marine has PTSD. I have to wonder how many other soldiers are suffering in silence due to the arrogance and ignorance by the military hierarchy. What I find even more appalling releasing this Marines name. Releasing this Marines name will further exacerbate his PTSD. For example

    a. inability to protect his family from terrorist attacks.
    b. fearing constant reprisal from Muslim extremists. If you think solitary confinement will stop them, you are kidding yourselves.
    c. being considered no better than a paedaphile and kiddy killer.
    d. solitary confinement for 10+ years will exacerbate PTSD
    e. Being denied appropriate medical care
    d. Being disgraced and unable to provide for his family.
    f. The military and government ignoring the seriousness of the condition.
    g. Military inability to diagnose the PTSD.

    Oh, yes we have heard all about the Geneva Conventions and Rules of engagement in which the Taliban don't follow. We have so many do-gooders who are critical of this Marine, but unless you are in this Marines shoes we shouldn't prejudge this soldier to a sentence of life imprisonment.

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    1. Definitely agree. This man has served his country and his country is punishing him. We are at war with these activists for God's sake. Release him. Let him go home!!!

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  54. I agree with every word. He should be pardoned. He's had a dishonorable discharge. That should be enough.

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  55. War is War some times bad things happen its not the soldier at fault but the people who put them into the situation they find themselves in. Free him now and reinstate this hero.

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  56. Free Sgt Blackman now and reinstate him to his position as a Royal Marine Sgt.. Should anything happen to the Sgt. or his family due to Muslim revenge then the judiciary will have blood on its hands because they have betrayed a serviceman for doing the job that they sent him to do in the interest of claiming glory for themselves.

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  57. To all those that have commented on this post, and as a former Royal I say this, Without a shadow of a doubt Sgt Blackman is guilty of murder!

    However the way he has been treated and sentenced is beyond belief, There were so many circumstances that should have been taken into consideration when sentencing and were not. The fact that he had served 3 tours of what can only be described as hell on earth, and seen his comrades blown to pieces and die, surely mitigate the 10 year sentence that was thrust on him by a Military panel that only need's one member to say guilty and not the whole twelve like any other in a civilian court. I am not condoning what has been done by him but I am appalled at what has been done too him.

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    1. is this murder? planting IED's to BOOM! destroy our fellow brothers is that not slaughter, beheading and skinning our men is that not barbaric, shooting then cowering behind women and children is this not cowardice then again picking up a fire arm and killing our guys unexpectedly. If anything he done this poor excuse of a human being a good send of to his maker, they want martyrdom he got it and the devil was happy that day when he received this evil soul - from a bootneck to bootneck - I do agree as stated before the court martial system is dated and needs addressed. And if u say murder then those who do drone attacks, no fact we are all guilty of it then. I can on here give my opinion anonymously however our troops are always named that's not right and our country i say again our country needs to get a grip, god never thought i'd say but we need a leader like the iron lady to make a stand for our people for our troops. Re-org GB

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    2. here here and so say most of us. disgusted ex RMP

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  58. This man should be freed and pardoned,if the taliban had shot the soldier whoud he have stood trial

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  59. Lynda, so agree with what you have stated. I have PTSD my post 19/12/2013 2158hrs. Also I have faced the criminal justice system and it was not taken into account my PTSD (at present under appeal) this happened just over five years ago. I caught my then partner in bed with another and assaulted him....trigger. What I will say was I was lucky enough to have the common dog sense that I was not right in the head and took myself to a private clinic to receive help and confirmed with PTSD. I'm better for it now and self diagnose when I feel low and have got a grip with it.....I'm know more now as a gentle man and role model father to my daughter. The case was against me for 1. being an RM/UKSF (exemplary record) 2. Represented GB in a contact sport. Alot of lies by the ex with evidence that was overwhelming in the case. ( again alot of lies). However I did do the assault at a time. And in truth very unlike me, I felt their was no help, let down. also similar to Mne A at the time within weeks of this happening I lost my father to cancer. It was made out that I never lived at the family home, my things, clothes in draws etc in my bedroom, but made out in court that it was the guy that I assauted items. When asked by the priobation service how do you thuink this guy felt when you walked in to his bedroom, and while he was naked you beat him at his bed.....my response was something i cannot write...it was then said i have no remorse. It was my family home, my picture of my late father at the side of the bed etc and a bed that my father gave me before he past away. The CPS gunned me down and their facts were untrue however i pleaded guilty of the crime...I did assault this man. As service man and their is a paper on this, which was sent to me by a former CGRM Trevour Philpott. This papers findings were that as service man we put our hands up when we do something wrong....evry service man/woman has always pleaded guilty. However the common criminal who has done a horrid crime or any has always pleaded not guilty. We are in our own little bubble in the service and we have no understanding of the court system. If I had pleaded not guilty then these lies would have been found out, and the case dismissed. On the day the magistrates ( exemplary record, top marks in becoming a police officer and the mitigating facts of the case were raised)asked the CPS whether they would let this case go....reply was no we wont this violent man sent down. After the outcome of the case my PTSD was shocking, suicidal, lost everything, criminal record, I was and always have been to this day a fantastic father with my daughter whom I now have most of the time. But then I had to be under supervision, didn't see her for 8 weeks. What I did learn is my ex had a criminal record which she hid, she hated my career in the RM and hated the Police so destroyed me. Also I'd like to add in the sentence they stated that, they would not give me jail sentence and did consider a community service order however this may make me bitter towards my ex and make it difficult for me to have access for my daughter (this i would have preferred as this meant that the police would still continue with my career as no record. But they said we feel a suspended sentence would be better. Really. continued -

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  60. continued - After a period of time with the probation service, the investigated further, spoke to the RM and the Police....took me back to court to say this is wrong. The court panel said they would have thrown this out of court, that I am and will always be a fantastic father and recommended that i still pursue a career in the police, Appeal. I would also like to add that the ex is not right in the head as everybody in the community knows however who does the system believe the guilty party or the so called victims as its seen that I'm a nutter lol. My point is their are failures with PTSD, their are failures in the court system and its down to who you have in the courts at that time. Its never straight forward, i done what I done and except my punishment, but the punishment was wrong just like Mne A the law had failings, the system is not always fair. We have to appeal to re-address these issues to accept the right punishment for me and for Mne A

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  61. Sgt Blackman should never have been tried for murder. War is War? The Taliban insurgents do not recognise the Geneva Convention. As a Royal Marine in active combat, Sgt Blackman has probably seen things any normal person would never like to see? Release him and let him protect his family

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  62. I think that you need to fight the enemy with similar tactics to what they use against us. If they don't heed the Geneva Convention then neither should we. If they don't show some sort of respect to prisoners then neither should we, otherwise it's an unfair fight from the start. If they're murdering and torturing our captured men then the least we can do is reciprocate with a bullet in the head, simple as that.

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    1. oh yeah.. really sensible.. let's reduce ourselves to the level of the Taliban... by doing that we have automatically lost.. not only the fight but our morals, scruples and dignity.

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  63. This is out outrageous. Free this man now! He is a solider and the military trained him to defend! That's what he did defend!

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    1. You need help do not call this coward a soldier he has ruined OUR reputation and destroyed any trust we had by executing a man in his care he needs shooting he is indefensible

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  64. doing his duty for HIS country gb

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  65. So what you are saying is not only put marine A (the cowardly cold blooded murderer) in jail for life, but also put his commanding officers and the entire british parliament in prison for life also, as accessories.. I totally agree with that!

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  66. I'm sorry everyone. I believe that he should stay in prison for the duration of his sentence, He signed on the dotted line and swore an oath to Queen and Country which also meant he was to uphold the law and before anyone starts to tell me that I know nothing I have served in the Army for the last 27 years and have deployed to numerous operational areas. The forces are governed by the Geneva convention and both UK and Military Law and he broke it. End of story

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    1. As the article implies, the convention only applies to prisoners. The muslim terrorist was armed with a grenade and a gun and would not subscribe to any code with the infidel.The person who should be on trial the article who passed on the tape for further examination.

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    2. You are morally corrupt mate standing behind your interpretation of the law are you serious? Prat!!

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    3. The forces are Governed by the Geneva Convention are they, but that doesn't include the Taliban though does it. If they dont stand by the Geneva Convention and murder and behead whoever they capture from our troops. How can you believe Marine A did any thing different to what the Taliban do, I served in Iraq, and Afghanistan and if its true you have also served, I find it hard to understand how someone who have faced these people, could even consider taken the point of view that you have. Unless you have never really been on the front line.

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  67. FREE MARINE A NOW WITH HONOURS HE DID HIS JOB

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  68. Are you insane? I spent 22 years in the Infantry. The man is (or was) a senior NCO and is supposed to instill and maintain discipline and lead by example.

    Justy think very carefully about what he did. He executed an unconscious prisoner. Not only that, he knew what he was doing was wrong at the time as evidenced by the chatter between him and the other marines present. Further, he allowed poeple of a lower rank than himself to sway him.


    We are either better than them or we are just as bad.

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  69. During the First World War, When fighting against the Turks, Grandfather told me; Any of our soldiers if they could not help them when advancing, they would shot their on mates. To stop them being left to be tortured and dissected whilst still alive and left. It was kinder to kill them

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  70. Yes you are right.

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  71. The goverment allows IRA to stand as a member of parliment . hand out letters to terrorists pardon them from murder yet our own are now in prison for serving Cameron

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  72. in my own humble opinion, the case of marine A , serves to highlight the joke that is our judicial system.

    this man was doing his duty, in extreme circumstance's and doing the job WE pay him to do ,namely to kill in our name, in any theatre of our boys kill their boys.
    Marine A , was in a difficult situation, doing a difficult job in hostile terrain, making difficult decisions, in a kill or be killed environment.

    Marine A only this country could imprison a serving soldier for doing his duty

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  73. Precedents have been set in this type of case in the Canadian and U.S. military, with the soldiers being dismissed from the service without jail time. Surely the appeal panel, or the Queen, could cite these as influencing their decisions to relieve Sgt. Blackman, since there is no precedent in the UK military justice system.

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  74. This is the end result of his legal case >>> http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-28654413

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