Senior military judge mishandled trial of jailed marine Alexander Blackman, official report finds
Britain’s most senior military judge mishandled the trial of a Royal Marine accused of murdering a wounded Taliban fighter to the extent that his conviction may now be quashed, the body that investigates potential miscarriages of justice has found.
The Criminal Cases Review Commission concluded that Jeff Blackett, the Judge Advocate General, was guilty of an “apparent failure” to properly apply the law when he failed to give a military jury the option of convicting Alexander Blackman of the lesser charge of manslaughter, according to extracts of an official report seen by The Telegraph.
I wonder if Judge Blackett failed to direct upon the option of a manslaughter conviction because he did not expect the jury to convict on a murder charge? Would have been an admirably cunning plan, except for . . .