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| SAS soldier Danny Nightingale to have case reviewed | SAS soldier Danny Nightingale to have case reviewed |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The case of an SAS soldier jailed for possessing a pistol he said was given as a "war gift" is to be reviewed. | The case of an SAS soldier jailed for possessing a pistol he said was given as a "war gift" is to be reviewed. |
| Sgt Danny Nightingale was detained for 18 months earlier this month after pleading guilty to possessing the gun. | Sgt Danny Nightingale was detained for 18 months earlier this month after pleading guilty to possessing the gun. |
| His supporters said the gun was not packed by him and a brain injury meant he was unable to remember having the pistol when it was found by police. | His supporters said the gun was not packed by him and a brain injury meant he was unable to remember having the pistol when it was found by police. |
| Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said he had written to the Attorney General Dominic Grieve to review the case. | Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said he had written to the Attorney General Dominic Grieve to review the case. |
| The soldier pleaded guilty at a court martial earlier this month to having the 9mm Glock pistol when it was found by West Mercia Police at his Hereford accommodation. | The soldier pleaded guilty at a court martial earlier this month to having the 9mm Glock pistol when it was found by West Mercia Police at his Hereford accommodation. |
| Transcripts shown to the BBC showed about 300 rounds of live ammunition were also found in a separate box on the premises. | Transcripts shown to the BBC showed about 300 rounds of live ammunition were also found in a separate box on the premises. |
| Former SAS soldiers, including Andy McNab and Chris Ryan, and MP Patrick Mercer are among those who have backed Sgt Nightingale's case, saying the sentence given to him was too harsh. | |
| A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said Mr Hammond had written to Mr Grieve on Tuesday morning to ask if the public interest test had been properly applied in the case. | |
| 'Passionate family man' | |
| BBC Defence Correspondent Jonathan Beale said it was understood Mr Hammond was keen for an appeal against the sentence to be heard as soon as it was lodged by Sgt Nightingale's lawyers. | |
| The soldier's supporters said the pistol had been given to him by Iraqi soldiers he had helped to train. | |
| They said it had been packed by colleagues after Sgt Nightingale, from Crewe, Cheshire, had needed to leave Iraq quickly to help organise the funerals of two fellow soldiers. | |
| They said he then suffered brain damage while on a charity race in a jungle during the year in which he had to wait to have his belongings returned. | |
| The injury led to him forgetting the the pistol was still among his possessions, his friends said. | |
| Sgt Nightingale's lawyers said the soldier pleaded guilty to the charge after being warned by the judge in the court martial he could face five years' detention if found guilty in a trial. | |
| Speaking to the BBC earlier, Sgt Nightingale's wife Sally said her husband had been "strong because the public are behind him". | |
| She added: "It's hard for him because he is an active man, he's a passionate family man - he needs to be released as soon as possible." |