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Convicted murderer Alexander Blackman received a great deal of support at a recent appeal against his sentence. Nick Ansell AP/Press Association Images

Court allows partial release of video showing British soldier murdering Taliban fighter

Alexander Blackman was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of a wounded Taliban soldier.

IN 2011, HEADCAM footage captured the moment when Royal Marine Alexander Blackman shot dead an already-wounded Taliban fighter in the chest.

Two years later, Blackman became the first British soldier to be convicted of a murder since the Second World War.

“There you are. Shuffle off this mortal coil … It’s nothing you wouldn’t do to us,” Blackman, paraphrasing Shakespeare’s Hamlet, was recorded as saying on 15 September 2011.

The footage – captured on a camera mounted on the helmet of another soldier – showed what happened after the Royal Marine shot the Taliban fighter who had been seriously injured by fire from an Apache helicopter in the Helmand province.

“Obviously this doesn’t go anywhere, fellas. I just broke the Geneva Convention,” he said to his fellow Royal Marines, in reference to international laws governing the treatment of prisoners of war.

Following his conviction, Blackman was sentenced to life in prison, with a minimum period to be served of 10 years. This was reduced to eight years in 2014.

The marine has received support from comrades and members of the armed forces – past and present – as well as from the Daily Mail and novelist Frederick Forsyth.

Blackman was denied bail in December, pending his appeal, which is due to be heard by the court martial appeal court next week.

His case was referred there after a judgement from the Criminal Cases Review Commission found that there was new evidence related to Blackman’s mental state at the time and that an alternative verdict of unlawful act manslaughter was not considered in the original case.

A legal challenge by the Guardian and other media outlets called for footage from the head-cam showing the shooting to be made available.

Media outlets had been keen to secure more video recordings of the incident ahead of Blackman’s appeal next week and, while they haven’t secured all of the footage, they have been granted several clips showing the build up to the incident, reports the Guardian.

“Open justice”

The Guardian, BBC, ITN, Times Newspapers and Sky argued in court that in the interests of “open justice”, all the footage should be made available.

The Ministry of Defence and Blackman’s legal team objected to this view.

The three judges ruled that two clips – one allegedly showing the marines dragging the injured man across a field and another of Blackman shooting him in the chest – could not be released.

The footage that will not be released includes Blackman quoting Shakespeare and referencing the Geneva convention. The transcripts have already been made available.

However, footage will be made available of a group of marines watching as an Apache helicopter opens fire on the suspected Taliban fighter.

The marines are said to initially express their delight, which then turns to disgust when they realise the Taliban fighter is still alive. One marine asks why a different form of missile wasn’t used, while another man can be heard saying “shambles” in a separate clip.

The third clip shows the marines walking into the field to inspect the injured man.

It is not yet known when the footage will be released.

With reporting from AFP - © – AFP 2017

Read: British soldier who murdered injured Taliban fighter denied bail

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86 Comments
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    Mute Dotty Dunleary
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    Jun 4th 2018, 7:30 PM

    Crush their cars and rip up the driving licences while you’re at it…

    702
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    Mute David Dickson
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    Jun 4th 2018, 7:43 PM

    @Dotty Dunleary: have you still got a licence that you could rip?

    66
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    Mute jenni
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    Jun 4th 2018, 7:58 PM

    @Dotty Dunleary: I wouldn’t crush that Lamborghini…but tbh I would have bothered buying a lambo in Ireland. Other than motorways, the roads are shi?e.

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    Mute Michael Powell
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    Jun 4th 2018, 8:02 PM

    @jenni: what Lamborghini?

    44
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    Mute Dotty Dunleary
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    Jun 4th 2018, 8:08 PM

    @jenni: Looks like a UK Reg Ferrari…

    Though probably just a Toyota MR2 with a bodykit…

    67
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    Mute Dotty Dunleary
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    Jun 4th 2018, 8:09 PM

    @David Dickson: Old Skool!

    15
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    Mute David Dickson
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    Jun 4th 2018, 8:18 PM

    @Dotty Dunleary: just like the guards with their mph.

    13
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    Mute David Edwards
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    Jun 4th 2018, 9:11 PM

    @jenni: it’s a Ferrari alright and impound and crush laws like Australia wouldn’t go astray here I’d say

    32
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    Mute Stephen Foster
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    Jun 4th 2018, 9:49 PM

    @jenni: looks more like a Ferrari 288 GTO. Good ole Magnam PI.

    18
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    Mute ウィリアム はげ
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    Jun 4th 2018, 10:22 PM

    @Stephen Foster: you’d have to be very brave or stupid to do 178km in that old piece of junk though. Most likely that was the micra in the background.

    15
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    Mute Jack
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    Jun 4th 2018, 11:01 PM

    @ウィリアム はげ: 178 is 110 in old money. Any Ferrari is well capable of safely handling that speed. Especially on a motorway. Even lesser Ferrari’s like the 288

    9
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    Mute David Dickson
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    Jun 4th 2018, 7:37 PM

    “The car caught speeding, drink driving, and driving the wrong way around a roundabout in Donegal”
    Wait till that car gets home the owner will batter it for messing about. No petrol for a month.

    220
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    Mute Jonathan Power
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    Jun 5th 2018, 8:21 AM

    @David Dickson: he was probably practicing for the rally next weekend. That does be carnage around town bits of cars everywhere

    11
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    Mute Alan Lynch
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    Jun 4th 2018, 8:27 PM

    160kph on a motorway is nothing to any modern car. Motorway speed limits need to be revised

    189
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    Mute Finbarr Lucey
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    Jun 4th 2018, 9:10 PM

    It’s nothing to a modern car but it’s the idiot behind the wheel doing that speed would cause an accident.

    211
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    Mute kevinhunt101
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    Jun 4th 2018, 9:23 PM

    @Finbarr Lucey: on a straight road it’s grand with not much traffic. A good car doesn’t feel like it’s even going that fast

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    Mute Van Transport Johnny O'Connor
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    Jun 4th 2018, 9:58 PM

    @Alan Lynch: nothing until you need to stop in a hurry

    64
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    Mute Patrick J. O'Rourke
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    Jun 4th 2018, 10:05 PM

    @Van Transport Johnny O’Connor: Or a sheep walks across the road.

    21
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    Mute heavyhits
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    Jun 4th 2018, 10:40 PM

    @Alan Lynch: Irish drivers are very specific, so better keep the limits.

    3
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    Mute Ohhh_reeally
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    Jun 5th 2018, 9:41 AM

    @Alan Lynch: no they don’t. The speed limits take account of a lot more factors than the cars capabilities.

    1
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    Mute Dotty Dunleary
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    Jun 5th 2018, 10:39 AM

    @Alan Lynch: No they don’t and you’re completely wrong!

    A BMW. Audi, Merc etc,. etc. may well be able to comfortably cruise at 160kph, however the Irish motorway isn’t designed to safely handle cars traveling at that velocity.

    Irish M roads are basically dual carriageways with a higher speed limit. Autobahn’s they are not!

    4
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    Mute Mark Boyle
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    Jun 5th 2018, 1:06 PM

    @Dotty Dunleary: What’s the difference between an Irish motorway and a German one?

    1
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    Mute Alan Lynch
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    Jun 5th 2018, 1:50 PM

    @Dotty Dunleary: to say I’m “completely wrong” is a bit off.
    The majority of modern cars are built to easily crack 160kph. I’m not saying that should be the limit but 130-140 is perfectly responsible in my opinion.

    3
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    Mute SlinkyDog
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    Jun 4th 2018, 7:43 PM

    Are we still using mph?

    89
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    Mute William Kelly
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    Jun 5th 2018, 6:38 AM

    @SlinkyDog: yes, we are still using mph, a lot.
    All the UK imports & N.I vehicles have mph speedos, with kph in lower case.

    13
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    Mute John Flood
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    Jun 5th 2018, 6:43 AM

    @SlinkyDog: the UK chose to keep imperial measurements, I think we should have too. The EU extended the choice to us but we kept metric.

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    Mute Nick Caffrey
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    Jun 5th 2018, 8:09 AM

    @John Flood: No. We are Europeans, not backward facing English.

    23
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    Mute Gareth Cooney
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    Jun 4th 2018, 8:14 PM

    The Nardai must have been dizzy tailing that guy round the roundabout.
    But then again, when a Nard is dizzy, a Nard is bizzy What?

    48
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    Mute Ohhh_reeally
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    Jun 5th 2018, 9:45 AM

    @Gareth Cooney: Nardai!! I hope that’s your Da in the profile picture and you’re just a little kid. If not then you’re an idiot

    10
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    Mute Frank Dubogovik
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    Jun 4th 2018, 7:29 PM

    my old qashqai couldn’t even get up to that speed

    41
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    Mute Jonathan Power
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    Jun 5th 2018, 8:23 AM

    @Frank Dubogovik: you’re lucky there terrible top heavy dreadful handling you’d flip it turn it over

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    Mute John Murphy
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    Jun 4th 2018, 7:57 PM

    Weeeeeeeeeeeeee !!!!

    20
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    Mute Joseph Molloy
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    Jun 4th 2018, 7:45 PM

    The Gardas should be out everyday. They are waste

    30
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    Mute Michael Powell
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    Jun 4th 2018, 8:03 PM

    @Joseph Molloy: they are 24hr 365days a year. You just worry about collecting your dole once a week.

    150
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    Mute Gus Sheridan
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    Jun 4th 2018, 8:25 PM

    @Joseph Molloy: not enough of them

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    Mute David Edwards
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    Jun 4th 2018, 9:46 PM

    @Michael Powell: to be fair I’ve been living in Ireland full time since 2008 and have been breath tested once, there’s no deterrent here, in Melbourne 3/4 times a month wouldn’t even unusual

    12
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    Mute Drew P. Baulsach
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    Jun 4th 2018, 10:23 PM

    @David Edwards: seems to be very dependent on where you are in the country. I’ve gone through one, ever, but my dad might go through one a week. I’m in offaly, he’s in kildare.

    10
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    Mute Philip Mckenna
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    Jun 5th 2018, 12:59 AM

    @Drew P. Baulsach: very true I have lived in roscommon for 13 years never been tested once, was in Dublin for a wedding last year was tested twice in 3 days!

    9
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    Mute Hans Vos
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    Jun 5th 2018, 9:28 AM

    @Drew P. Baulsach: I’m in Tipperary for 25 years and never been stopped for drink control. Only for roadtax and insurance control.

    4
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    Mute Ohhh_reeally
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    Jun 5th 2018, 9:47 AM

    @David Edwards: I lived I’m Melbourne for 4 years and was never once breath tested

    2
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    Mute Ohhh_reeally
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    Jun 5th 2018, 9:47 AM

    @Hans Vos: no such thing as road tax control

    1
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    Mute Hans Vos
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    Jun 5th 2018, 11:46 AM

    @Ohhh_reeally: oh reeally? You never stopped by the Garda for tax disk control.

    4
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    Mute Ohhh_reeally
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    Jun 5th 2018, 4:30 PM

    @Hans Vos: no. Stopped at checkpoints where all required documents were checked.. not tax control as you call it

    1
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    Mute Hans Vos
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    Jun 5th 2018, 8:39 PM

    @Ohhh_reeally: maybe not in Melbourne but in Ireland they never asked me for documents but only look if you have your disk’s displayed.

    1
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    Mute Dermot Foley
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    Jun 4th 2018, 7:39 PM

    Absolutely disgusting tbh. But absolutely hilarious too.

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    Mute Christina Sherwin Russell
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    Jun 5th 2018, 4:06 AM

    Name and shame as they do here in ontario

    15
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    Mute Eric Gaffney
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    Jun 4th 2018, 9:43 PM

    Unlikely to be perceived as toxic.

    4
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    Mute Stephen Mullin
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    Jun 5th 2018, 6:24 AM

    It wasn’t me Judge – It was my drunkin self drive Tesla !!

    4
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    Mute LikeSeriouslySue
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    Jun 4th 2018, 9:38 PM

    a court appearance is hardly a deterrent – the message is not being heard. It should be treated like intent of assault with a deadly weapon.justice system in ireland is a joke and people know it,

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    Mute anthony o cathain
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    Jun 5th 2018, 11:42 AM

    3 yrs please

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    Mute Divad Nayr
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    Jun 4th 2018, 10:26 PM

    Absolutely discussing, that’s a Ferrari 288 GTO , not a Lamborghini.

    1
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