At last! Sgt Alexander Blackman – Marine A – must now be freed

Sergeant Alexander Blackman – known as Marine A – has had his murder conviction quashed and commuted to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility.

And about time too.

Yesterday's verdict is not just a victory for Sgt Blackman and his family – but a victory for decency and common sense.

But more importantly than that, it is a victory for our brave war heroes.

Let Britain never again callously pursue, harass and intimidate those who serve Queen and country.

Let us banish this evil culture of money-grabbing and ambulance-chasing lawyers targeting our troops.

And let the brave men and women who have witnessed horrors on the frontline sleep in peace without the fear of a witch hunt.

It is a scandal and indicative of the moral bankruptcy that has poisoned parts of British society today that Sgt Blackman found himself in this position.

Can you imagine any other country on this planet behaving in such a way?

The answer, of course, is no. Never.

Let's hope the damage done to our Armed Forces is not lasting. Somehow I doubt it.

Nothing in civilian life compares to warfare.

We may like to think we can imagine or pretend to know what it is like – but we can't.

I have limited insight into the life of our Armed Services having spent an attachment with the Joint Helicopter Command in the Arctic Circle and on training missions in the UK a few years ago.

This is the unit that flies Marines like Sgt Blackman into war zones.

I worked with them, slept next to them, and socialised with them.

They are elite professionals who sacrifice long parts of their lives to serve their country and put their bodies on the line – but they are also young men and women just like us.

I have met soldiers who have been ambushed by the Taliban, Marines who have come under sniper fire from Al-Qaeda, and I have met families who lost their sons as teenagers.

I would never want to trade places with them.

Most of us wouldn't.

From the comfort of our living rooms we try to form opinions on what we read and watch.

We do not have to live with the consequences of being at war.

Aren't we lucky.

And while our service personnel signed up to put themselves in positions of grave risk and danger, they did not expect to come under attack from the very people who they were protecting.

It is the ultimate betrayal.

Have we really been so hasty to forget the experiences of our fathers, grandfathers, and great-grandfathers in the last century?

Those who so gallantry serve Great Britain certainly don't expect to find themselves in a court of law for actions on foreign battlefields.

No wonder our enemies laugh at us.

When did it become dishonourable to fight for and protect your country? And why do we repeatedly let these spirited and courageous people down?

Yesterday truly was a momentous declaration.

The Court of Appeal judges agreed that fresh evidence proved Sgt Blackman was suffering from combat stress when he shot a wounded Taliban fighter in Afghanistan.

The trauma of being in the Armed Services and on the frontline has for far too long not been taken seriously enough. Let this be a watershed moment.

And despite the injustice, I have hope for this country.

As Claire Blackman emerged on the steps of the Royal Courts of Justice she was met by applause from a crowd of veterans – who gave her three cheers – and the wild honking of taxi horns.

She also had the backing of the Daily Mail, leading campaigner Frederick Forsyth as well as serving and former Marines and a top class legal team.

It is that fighting spirit that gives me hope for Britain.

Mrs Blackman said: "We are delighted at the judges' decision to substitute manslaughter by diminished responsibility.

"This is a crucial decision and one that much better reflects the circumstances that my husband found himself in during that terrible tour of Afghanistan.

"We must now wait for the sentencing hearing and hope to secure a significant reduction in Al's sentence.

"We would like to thank our fantastic legal team of Jonathan Goldberg QC, Jeffrey Israel and Senghin Kong for their excellent work to date.

"We would also like to thank the tens of thousands of supporters, especially from the Royal Marines' family, who have stood behind us throughout and who have played such an important role in getting us to this point."

Sgt Blackman has served three years in prison as part of his minimum eight-year sentence for murder after shooting a Taliban insurgent who had been seriously injured in a helicopter attack.

Next week he will be re-sentenced.

The only appropriate outcome is his release.

This man and his family have suffered enough.

The very least this country owes them is his freedom.

This whole sorry affair has been a shameful and dark chapter in the history of Great Britain.

It must never happen again.

Let today be the day when once again Britain tells our servicemen and women: 'We stand with you'.