Marine A, who killed wounded Taliban fighter, released from prison

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/apr/28/marine-a-alexander-blackman-released-from-prison

Version 1 of 3.

Alexander Blackman, the former Royal Marine sergeant jailed for killing a wounded Taliban fighter, has been released from prison after serving three and a half years.

Blackman – known as Marine A during the original court martial – was smuggled away from Erlestoke prison in Wiltshire in the early hours of Friday hiding under a blanket in the back of a police car and was reunited with his wife, Claire, at a secret location.

Friends and supporters, who campaigned tirelessly for his release, said he would need time to readjust to a new life both out of prison and out of the marines.

I'm at Erlestoke Prison where Royal Marine Sgt Alexander Blackman was released at 12.18am. He was driven away in an unmarked police car pic.twitter.com/3LkdL9MH1Y

There will be pressure on him to speak about the moment he shot dead a prisoner who had been badly wounded by helicopter fire in Afghanistan, and his fight for freedom.

Blackman was convicted of murder in 2013 and jailed for life. After a campaign led by his wife and taken up by the Daily Mail, the conviction was quashed when the court martial appeal court ruled he had been suffering from a mental disorder at the time of the shooting in Helmand in 2011. His conviction was replaced with manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility and his sentence reduced from life to seven years.

Blackman has spent the final weeks of his time in prison planning his future outside – he has been dismissed from the marines – and handing over the reins at the library, where he worked.

He has had job offers in the security industry and may write a book on his experiences. As well as looking forward to being reunited with family and friends he is understood to be keen to play a round of golf.

Blackman is still entitled to a military pension and supporters have raised money to help him and his wife set themselves up once he is released.

Speaking to the BBC, his barrister, Jonathan Goldberg QC, claimed he had been in Hollywood to discuss a movie deal, suggesting that Kate Winslet, Tom Hardy and Al Pacino were being considered to play the Blackmans and him.

Speaking to the Mail while awaiting her husband’s release, Claire Blackman said: “I haven’t slept all week. I feel like a child waiting for Christmas. We have had so many setbacks over the years that I almost cannot believe it is really going to happen this time. I can’t wait to see him and spend some quality time together.”

Goldberg said they had been married seven years – but Blackman had spent three and a half years of that time in prison and another year away on tour.

Film-maker Chris Terrill, a friend of the Blackmans who has made a Panorama documentary on the case, said it would take Blackman time to readjust to life as a civilian.

He told the BBC that Claire Blackman had told him she would not believe her husband was free until she saw him walk through the door. “She’s been in limbo until now,” he said.

Terrill added: “It’s time to leave the family to themselves for the time being. It will be a difficult transition. He’s a civilian. He’s got to get used to that.”

The film-maker said Blackman felt shame and guilt over what he did. “He’s guilty of an illegal killing. He says: ‘If I could turn back time and undo what I did, I would.’”

Life will never be the same for the Blackmans. The Guardian revealed last month that police had warned them they could be terrorist targets and they have been advised to take a series of precautions including changing their identities and moving house.

But Blackman’s supporters will celebrate his release over the bank holiday weekend. The Justice for Marine A Facebook page announced simply: “We are extremely pleased to announce that Al has been released and is in a safe/private location with Claire.”