Mike Hookem welcomes reduction in ‘Marine A’ Conviction.
Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire MEP, Mike Hookem, has welcomed a
decision by the Court Martial Appeal Court to reduce the sentence of jailed
Royal Marine Sergeant, Alexander Blackman, saying; “the reduction in the
severity of the charge against Al Blackman proves he should never have been
jailed in the first place due to medical problems he was suffering from at the
time of the incident.”
Royal Marine Sergeant, Alex Blackman, was jailed after the killing of a
mortally wounded Taliban fighter in Afghanistan was caught on the helmet camera
of another soldier. A military court later found Blackman guilty of murder,
despite evidence he was suffering from a range of mental health problems at the
time of the killing.
Former commando engineer, Mr Hookem, who has taken the campaign to free
‘Marine A' to the European Parliament said, “I echo the statement made by Claire
Blackman – Alexander’s wife – that a conviction of manslaughter on the grounds
of diminished responsibility better reflects the circumstances of the incident
and I welcome the court’s decision.”
“I would now like to see the immediate release of Mr Blackman and his
sentence reduced to time served. Mr Blackman needs to be at home with his wife
and family, where he belongs, rather than languishing in
jail.
