Marine convicted of Afghan murder named

A Royal Marine who murdered an injured insurgent in Afghanistan has been named as Sergeant Alexander Blackman.

Three senior judges sitting at the High Court in London lifted an anonymity order which prevented him from being identified.

Arguments made for Blackman and other marines in the case suggested their lives would be at "real and immediate" risk if their names were released.

But the judges upheld a decision to name him and two others.

On 8 November a court martial board found Blackman, who is from Taunton, Somerset, guilty of murdering the man in Helmand Province more than two years ago.

The anonymity order for the two other marines, who were acquitted, will remain in place until the court publishes its full judgement and lawyers decide whether to appeal.

All three marines on trial denied murdering the unknown captured Afghan on or about 15 September 2011, contrary to section 42 of the Armed Forces Act 2006.

But Blackman, who will be sentenced on Friday, was convicted by a seven-strong court martial board following a two-week trial.

The murder took place after a patrol base in Helmand Province came under attack from small arms fire from two insurgents.

The Afghan prisoner was seriously injured by gunfire from an Apache helicopter gunship sent to provide air support, and the marines found him in a field.

Blackman was filmed by a camera mounted on the helmet of one of the other marines shooting the victim at close range with a 9mm pistol.

After the shooting, Marine A said: "There, shuffle off this mortal coil... It's nothing you wouldn't do to us."

He added: "Obviously this doesn't go anywhere fellas. I just broke the Geneva Convention."

Marine A told the court martial who found him guilty that he had fired because of "poor judgement and lack of self-control", but said he had thought the insurgent was already dead.

Of the decision to lift the anonymity order, a spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said: "We presented our security concerns in open court, and an independent legal process has now concluded; we respect the decision of the court."

The BBC's defence correspondent Caroline Wyatt said the news had been greeted with a mixed reaction from military figures.

Friends and colleagues described Blackman's time in Helmand that year as the "tour from hell", during which he lost several men close to him, our correspondent said.

Blackman was 39-years-old at the time of the court martial and had 15 years' experience as a Royal Marine.

He had completed three tours in Iraq, two in Afghanistan and one in Northern Ireland during his military career.

Prior to the video of the murder coming to light, Blackman was being considered for promotion to Colour Sergeant.

The marines involved in the case were known by the letters A to E.

The question of whether to name Marines D and E, against whom charges were discontinued, will be decided at another hearing.

Lord Chief Justice Lord Thomas, sitting with Mr Justice Tugendhat and Mr Justice Holroyde, made the identity rulings about Blackman and Marines B and C earlier.

The decisions follow a hearing last week, when the judges considered a challenge to a ruling by Judge Advocate General Jeff Blackett that the names of the defendants should be made public.