Marine A gets out in 2 weeks

[LondonManc]

I'm sure a lot of people over the centuries have used a similar argument .... my actions give you your freedom, therefore you should allow me to do what I want and not question me. Hmmm, again, doesn't sound very moral to me but hey, I sleep under the blanket of freedom so who am I to question those that kill in my name?!?

I think we have the fortunate position of not being in a life-threatening circumstance like Sgt. Blackman was. He made what he believed to be the correct decision at the time and to some, he made a mistake. If a referee does that, he gets pilloried in the press for it and maybe misses a game. The referee isn't in a life-threatening position though, so his mistakes don't matter as much (unless it's your team on the receiving end, obviously!). I couldn't honestly say that I know what I would have done in his position. Just like I don't know how I'll handle the death of my mother or father; I'd like to think I'd know but until I'm there, I simply don't know.

[SimonMac]

On LBC


Sergeant Blackman to be free in 2 weeks.

Good result IMO.

Sorry, but no it's not.

He is either guilty of murder, or innocent on the grounds of diminished responsibility, the manslaughter verdict is hypocrisy at its best, saying he killed him, but he didn't mean to is contrary to the evidence.

[SimonMac]

Actually its very clear that PTSD is a real thing. The victim was unlikely to survive and it would have been a huge risk for them to leave him to tell his mates or take him with them.

What would you do in his situation?

If you can sensibly answer differently to him then I will be impressed.

If it is PTSD he should have been found not guilty, on ground of diminished responsibility, but that would recognize PTSD as a mental illness and open the MOD to being sued

[Whorty]

Way to go.........

Grass hopper

You're welcome

[SimonMac]

Marine A gets out in 2 weeks

ah an Apples / Pears comparison.

You equate a group of soldiers in a hostile territory with little backup on a mission to kill insurgents killing a fellow combatant (not a civilian) who had been armed with an automatic weapon and had tried to kill them he had succeeded with a few.

With a Paramedic in the middle of London surrounded by armed Police trying to save a terrorist's life who had killed & injured many civilians.

Note the Armed Police had already fatally shot the chap carrying a knife that killed their colleague , maybe they should have offered counselling instead?

not sure how they are similar.

Compare Apples and Apples then.

A Taliban insurgent shoots and kills a wonder UK marine rather than trying to administer first aid, would that be ok?

[vetran]

Sorry, but no it's not.

He is either guilty of murder, or innocent on the grounds of diminished responsibility, the manslaughter verdict is hypocrisy at its best, saying he killed him, but he didn't mean to is contrary to the evidence.

He did kill him, he did it intentionally & openly. The man is dead, Sgt Blackman did it he is guilty of something.

However it seems reasonable that were he in his right mind or he had a reasonable choice then he would not have done it therefore its not Murder.

I do suspect he made a sensible military decision killing him. It was probably a good humanitarian decision too.

Therefore the manslaughter verdict makes sense.

Of course it seems the Marines threw him to the wolves.

Sgt Alexander Blackman News on the Petition and Appeal to Free Him | Daily Mail Online

Colonel Oliver Lee resigned in protest at the treatment of Sgt Blackman
He claims he was 'actively prevented [from giving evidence] by attempts to silence me from within the Royal Marines'
Royal Marines Warrant Officer Stephen Moran claims he was told to ‘stay out of it’ by his seniors when he telephoned Sgt Blackman’s legal team

[northernladyuk]

Sorry, but no it's not.

He is either guilty of murder, or innocent on the grounds of diminished responsibility, the manslaughter verdict is hypocrisy at its best, saying he killed him, but he didn't mean to is contrary to the evidence.

Manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility is a long-standing legal type of verdict to such trial. Not guilty by reason of insanity is much rarer and has a very high threshold.

If we want to reject the former verdict, then we need to be prepared for the Daily Mail shrieking next time a radicalised Islamist with mental health issues kills people and in found not guilty.

IMO serving 3 1/2 years of a 7 year sentence strikes a reasonable and just balance.

[vetran]

Compare Apples and Apples then.

A Taliban insurgent shoots and kills a wonder UK marine rather than trying to administer first aid, would that be ok?

You know of a Taliban insurgent that has offered aid to the enemy? They don't seem too interested in the Geneva Convention.

If the Marine was going to die anyway and the Taliban's group behind enemy lines were at risk then killing him would be a sensible decision.

But what else would you do?

Try to save him?
then what do you do with him?

[vetran]

interesting

Why I left my medical practice to treat the Taliban | Fortune.com

Malala Yousafzai: Taliban shooting victim flown to UK - BBC News

[SimonMac]

You know of a Taliban insurgent that has offered aid to the enemy? They don't seem too interested in the Geneva Convention.

If the Marine was going to die anyway and the Taliban's group behind enemy lines were at risk then killing him would be a sensible decision.

But what else would you do?

Try to save him?
then what do you do with him?

Just because they don't follow the law, doesn't mean that we shouldn't, isn't that one of the main justifications for going in in the first place?

Not being a doctor I wouldn't know if he was going to live or not, but a field doctor or anyone with basic first aid would probably pump him full of morphine to numb the pain until someone who can triage him properly.

They weren't behind enemy lines, the marine moved him out of the view of the forward operating base surveillance cameras