This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-23700938

The article has changed 12 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Bradley Manning may make public statement in Wikileaks trial Bradley Manning 'sorry' for hurting US at Wikileaks trial
(about 4 hours later)
The US soldier who leaked a trove of classified documents to the Wikileaks website is expected to make a statement at his court martial. Pte First Class Bradley Manning has apologised for hurting the US by leaking a trove of classified US government documents to Wikileaks.
Bradley Manning could testify as a witness, or make a sworn or unsworn statement in the sentencing hearing at Fort Meade, Maryland, his lawyer said. Pte Manning, 25, spoke at the sentencing hearing of his court martial at Fort Meade, Maryland.
Wednesday's witness list includes 29-year-old Manning's aunt and a mental health expert. Earlier on Wednesday, a military psychiatrist testified Pte Manning had struggled with his gender identity.
The private first class could face up to 90 years in prison over the leaks. Pte Manning faces up to 90 years in prison following his conviction in July on 20 espionage and other charges.
The judge granted a defence motion decreasing the soldier's maximum sentence from 136 years after he was convicted last month of 20 charges, including espionage and theft. In an unsworn statement at the hearing, Pte Manning said: "I'm sorry that my actions hurt people. I'm sorry that it hurt the United States.
Any statement by him on Wednesday would be his first since the trial opened in June. "I'm apologising for the unexpected results of my actions. The last three years have been a learning experience for me."
Manning admitted passing hundreds of thousands of battlefield reports and diplomatic cables to Wikileaks. Pte Manning said he did not believe at the time that leaking the information would cause harm.
The sentencing phase of the trial has focused on how much damage the revelations caused. Last month, military Judge Col Denise Lind convicted Pte Manning of 20 charges including espionage, theft and violating computer regulations.
Manning has said he never intended to harm national security but wanted the disclosures to provoke public debate. He had already admitted passing hundreds of thousands of battlefield reports and diplomatic cables to Wikileaks.
The BBC's Tara McKelvey at Fort Meade, Maryland, says that in Wednesday's hearing Pte Manning was quiet and took notes throughout the testimony, but appeared to grow emotional as one defence witness spoke about his desire to change the world.
'Off-keel'
The sentencing phase of the trial has focused on how much damage the revelations caused. The prosecution has called witnesses who described the impact on US diplomatic relations and on the military's dealings with Afghan civilians, among other affects.
Pte Manning has said he never intended to harm US national security but wanted the disclosures to provoke public debate about US foreign policy and the military.
Ahead of Pte Manning's statement, Navy Capt David Moulton, a forensics psychiatrist, testified that at the time of the leak he felt abandoned by friends and family and had hit a rough patch with his boyfriend amid an isolating deployment.
The psychiatrist interviewed Pte Manning for 21 hours after his arrest.
Pte Manning had also decided he wanted to become a woman, Capt Moulton said.
In psychiatric terms, Pte Manning has a "gender-identity disorder", or "disturbance of one's gender", Capt Moulton said.
This is different from being gay, he added.
"Gender is very much at the core of our identity," he said, adding that when a person is uncertain about his or her gender, the whole world seems "off-keel".
Amid this turmoil, Pte Manning also became disillusioned about the US war in Iraq and was trying to correct "injustices", Capt Moulton said.
"Manning was under the impression that the leaked information was going to change how the world saw the war in Iraq," the psychiatrist testified.
About to leave?
He added that Pte Manning believed the leaks would ultimately end all war, and the young soldier was unclear about the extent of the punishment he would face for his actions.
"He underestimated how much trouble he would get in, for sure," Capt Moulton said.
"He was really relying on his morals and his ideology and not thinking beyond that."
Separately, an Army psychotherapist who treated Pte Manning while he was in Iraq said he had begun the process to remove him from the military.
"He was having issues at work," Capt Michael Worsley said, adding Pte Manning's job as an intelligence analyst had made him even more isolated and anxious.
Pte Manning's sister and aunt are also on the list of potential defence witnesses. Dozens of spectators and journalists were in attendance on Wednesday amid tight security at Fort Meade.