
Alexander Blackman's overjoyed wife broke down in court while his jubilant supporters cheered, threw their fists into the air and sprayed Champagne as it was revealed he will be released within two weeks.

There were scenes of unbridled joy inside and outside the High Court as five judges sentenced Sgt Blackman - better known as Marine A - to seven years for manslaughter following the quashing of his murder conviction.

As a result of the three-and-a-half years already served since his original conviction in November 2013, Sgt Blackman will be freed from HMP Erlestoke in Wiltshire next month.

The former marine appeared via video link and smiled broadly as he learned he would soon be a free man - his wife Claire had tears in her eyes and her face crumpled when the sentence was passed.

Afterwards Mrs Blackman was described by her husband's QC Jonathan Goldberg as 'the lioness who inspired us throughout' and was given a 'three cheers' and a bagpipes salute from marines who popped Champagne corks, drank from hipflasks and planted kisses on her cheek.

Speaking on the steps of the High Court she thanked Daily Mail readers who raised £800,000 towards her husband's legal fees and said: 'This is the moment that we have all been fighting hard for. It is hard to believe that this day is finally here'.

Victory: Alexander Blackman's wife Claire is cheered on the steps of the High Court today as her husband was told he will be freed within weeks

Happy day: Alexander Blackman's jubilant supporters cheered and threw their fists into the air on the steps of the High Court today

Heroine: There was special praise for Mrs Blackman for leading the campaign and was kissed by a former marine

Joy: Claire Blackman (pictured today) was in court to hear that her husband (right) will be freed in the next fortnight and was overwhelmed. He looked shocked and then smiled as the sentence was passed

She added: 'We are overjoyed at the judges' decision to significantly reduce Al's sentence, such that he can be released imminently'.

'This is what we've all been fighting for': Claire Blackman's joy at new sentence and thanks to Mail readers Alex Blackman's wife Claire was cheered uproariously outside the High Court today after it was ruled her husband should be released in April. Surrounded by her legal team and supporters she said: 'We are overjoyed at the judges' decision to significantly reduce Al's sentence, such that he can be released imminently. 'This is the moment that we have all been fighting hard for. It is hard to believe that this day is finally here. 'There are so many people we must thank for getting us here. They include of course our brilliant legal team, Jonathan Goldberg QC, Jeffrey Israel and Sengin Kong, thank you all. They also include the fabulous Frederick Forsyth and the wonderful Richard Drax MP, both of whom have fought tirelessly in support of Al. 'I must also thank former Royal Mrine John Davies who had never met my husband and yet captained the campaign and supported us from the start with tireless energy along with Sue Childs. 'Major General John Holmes, Major General Malcolm Hunt and Lieutenant Colonel Ewen Southby-Tailyour all deserve a mention for their wonderful support. 'And finally but by no means least our sincere thanks go to all those who have supported us through this journey. Our own friends and family, the Royal Marines family, especially the Royal Marines mums, all serving and former servicemen and women, members of the public and the Daily Mail readers without whose generosity we would not be here'. Advertisement

The momentous decision sealed a stunning victory for the campaign for justice for Sgt Blackman, who was jailed for life in 2013 for shooting a Taliban fighter in Afghanistan in 2011.

The Court Martial Appeal Court today erupted in deafening cheers as Royal Marine Alexander Blackman was sentenced to seven years in prison for shooting dead an injured Taliban fighter in Afghanistan - meaning he will be set free in two weeks.

Announcing the decision, Lord Thomas said: 'As with any person sentenced to a determinate term, his release will ordinarily be at the halfway point of the sentence.'

Outside supporters jumped for joy and hugged while a procession of black cabs slowed outside the Royal Courts of Justice and blared their horns.

Mrs Blackman walked out of court to bagpipes and her legal team were surrounded by banner-waving veterans and champagne corks popped as she spoke.

Her counsel, Jonathan Goldberg QC, described her as 'the lioness who inspired us throughout'.

'She has shown that ordinary people can do extraordinary things', he said.

'She kept the flame alive when the legal system had completely abandoned her husband.

'Her courage and her dignity have been amazing.'

Also speaking outside court, former soldier Richard Drax MP said: 'The sun is shining, and clearly upon the righteous. Justice is seen to be done.'

In message to servicemen and women and police officers including murdered Keith Palmer, who was knifed to death in last week's Westminster terror attack, he said: 'All those who serve between us and evil deserve our support.

'You will never be forgotten, and if you are we will fight for you, fight for justice.'

As a champagne cork popped behind him, the Conservative MP or South Dorset said: 'I can't wait to clink a glass of champagne with Sgt Al Blackman the hero, who has served this country in an exemplary way.'

Oliver Lee, a former colonel of the Royal Marines and Blackman's commanding officer in September 2011, welcomed the news.

He said: 'I am very pleased that Sergeant Blackman has now been dealt with justly and fairly.

'This has been my sole intention throughout these proceedings.

'My hope now is that the many lessons from this tragic case will be learned and the Royal Marines can look forward to another 350 years of highly distinguished service.'

Alan Logan, 72, a former Royal Marines sergeant from Rhuddlan, North Wales, said: 'I think it's absolutely brilliant.

'I don't think he should have been there in the first place'.

Delighted: Claire Blackman addresses the large crowd outside the High Court today after the stunning victory for the campaign for justice for Sgt Blackman, who was jailed for life in 2013 for shooting a Taliban fighter in Afghanistan in 2011

Overwhelming support: Supporters of Sergeant Alexander Blackman could not hide their joy and relief as it was revealed his fight for freedom was almost over

Hugs: As the news of Sgt Blackman's imminent release his friends and supporters hugged and shared a drink from hipflasks

All smiles: Mrs Blackman smiles at her counsel Jonathan Goldberg QC (right) while surrounded by her legal team Jeffrey Israel (left) and Sengin Kong (second left), as well as MP Richard Drax (second right)

Mark Iles, 63, from Greenwich, south-east London, a former reservist in the Royal Artillery, served in Afghanistan and Iraq and came to court to 'show solidarity'.

Happy day: Today's sentence for manslaughter by diminished responsibility means Blackman is eligible for near-immediate release

He said: 'The court martial, and the way he has been treated by the top brass, hung out to dry, it's got to be a betrayal of the armed forces covenant.'

Another former sergeant with the Royal Marines, Gary Page, 66, had made the journey from his Bournemouth home.

He joked: 'The car parking was expensive, the train fare extortionate, the result today priceless'.

The former sergeant, 42, has already served a three-and-a-half years in jail for blasting the insurgent in the chest at close range with a 9mm pistol before quoting Shakespeare as he said: 'Shuffle off this mortal coil, you c***.'

Blackman was handed a life sentence for murder before the 2013 conviction was quashed by five top judges earlier this month.

They found the shooting was not a 'cold-blooded execution' but the result of Blackman suffering from an 'abnormality of mental functioning' because of an adjustment disorder caused by combat stress.

Today's sentence for manslaughter by diminished responsibility means Blackman is eligible for near-immediate release.

But judges ended hopes of him returning to service as The Lord Chief Justice Lord Thomas told him: 'In the light of your service record and psychiatric condition there is no question of dismissal with disgrace.

'However, given the seriousness of the offence and the damage to Her Majesty's armed forces he must be dismissed.'

Blackman smiled as he appeared by videolink at the Royal Courts of Justice from Erlestoke prison in Wiltshire wearing a blue shirt.

His wife Claire, 45, whose campaign for her husband's release has attracted widespread public support and sparked debates in the House of Lords and the House of Commons, sat in the packed courtroom along with scores of supporters - many former servicemen.

Roars rang out, followed by applause and three cheers.

Court drama: Mrs Blackman thanked her husband's army of supporters after they won the High Court fight to have his murder conviction quashed and now his sentence cut

Emotional: Mrs Blackman had tears in her eyes as the judgment was laid down today and was similarly emotional as she spoke outside

Happiness: Marine A will be freed from HMP Erlestoke in Wiltshire by mid-April after three-and-a-half years in prison

Support: QC Jonathan Goldberg warned Sgt Blackman that his wife had received several offers of marriage, such is the admiration for her

Jubilation: A former serviceman roars with joy as news of Sgt Blackman's reduced sentence filtered out of the courtroom, afterwards Mrs Blackman was clearly moved by the support

Back again: Sgt Blackman has been supported by former marines who were back at the High Court again today with the cardboard cutout of the serviceman

Humbling: The campaign to secure Sgt Blackman's release has received huge support from former marines and other servicemen and servicewomen

Blackman has 15 years of service, including six tours of Iraq and Afghanistan in which he risked death hundreds of times when he came under enemy fire.

Mr Goldberg said: 'He estimates having himself personally and lawfully had to kill the Queen's enemies over 30 times on the battlefield,' he continued.

The judges found Blackman, from Taunton, Somerset, had been an exemplary soldier before his deployment in Afghanistan, where he served in the Helmand province with Plymouth's 42 Commando.

His undermanned unit were forced to patrol the 'most dangerous square mile on earth' twice a day for up to ten hours along IED infested paths in searing 50°C heat, carrying 100lbs of equipment.

On 15 September 2011 was captured on another Royal Marine's helmet camera as he shot the Taliban fighter, who had been seriously injured in an Apache helicopter attack, before telling his victim: 'Shuffle off this mortal coil, you c***. It's nothing you wouldn't do to us.'

He then turned to his fellow soldiers and said: 'Obviously this doesn't go anywhere, fellas. I just broke the Geneva Convention.'

The court heard the terrorist was just minutes away from death having been lawfully attacked by an Apache helicopter while carrying an AK47, ammunition and a grenade.

The Appeal Court was given nine character witnesses from Sgt Blackman's comrades describing him as kind-hearted, generous, heroic and a born leader of men.

One of them, Thomas Quinn, 25, a serving commando, said: 'To me and all my peers he was a great role model. If he was to come back to the Royal Marines, I would follow him to hell and back without any questions.'

Timeline: The path to justice for British soldier Marine A Sergeant Alexander Blackman - known as Marine A - became the first British serviceman convicted of murder on a foreign battlefield since the Second World War. Here is a timeline of events in the case: 2011 March - Sgt Blackman deploys to Helmand province with 42 Commando as part of Op Herrick XIV. His unit is sent to Nad-e Ali, where it sees heavy fighting. Several marines are killed, including Sgt Blackman's troop commander, and others are maimed. September 15 - Taliban insurgents attack a small British patrol base. The attack is repelled with the aid of a British Apache helicopter gunship. Sgt Blackman and his marines are on patrol and sent to look for the fleeing attackers. They find one, lying gravely wounded, in the middle of a field. Sgt Blackman shoots him in the chest with his pistol. The killing is captured on helmet camera by one of the patrol. 2012 September - The video of the incident is found on a Royal Marine's laptop during an investigation by civilian police into another alleged crime. A police investigation begins. October 11 - Seven unnamed Royal Marines are arrested on suspicion of murder. 2013 October 23 - Sgt Blackman and two others go on trial at the Court Martial Centre in Bulford, Wiltshire, accused of murder. He is only identified as Marine A and his comrades as Marines B and C. They give evidence from behind screens. All three plead not guilty. November 8 - Sgt Blackman is found guilty of murder. The two other marines are acquitted. December 5 - A court rules Sgt Blackman, still only known to the world as Marine A, should be stripped of his anonymity. December 6 - Sgt Blackman, from Taunton, Somerset, is given a life sentence and told he must serve a minimum of 10 years in a civilian prison. 2014 May 22 - Sgt Blackman loses a Court of Appeal bid to overturn his life sentence. His minimum term is cut from 10 years to eight. 2015 September - A high-profile campaign begins to have Sgt Blackman freed, led by his wife Claire. December 16 - 1,100 pages of new evidence are handed into the Criminal Cases Review Commission in an attempt to have the conviction sent back to the Court of Appeal. 2016 December - The CCRC concludes there is a 'real possibility' of overturning the conviction, and grants an appeal. Later the same month, the Lord Chief Justice refuses a bid to grant bail, after prosecutors challenge new psychiatric evidence about his mental state at the time of the killing. December 21 - Sgt Blackman loses a bid to be released on bail in time for Christmas ahead of his appeal hearing. 2017 February 7 - Five judges, Lord Chief Justice Lord Thomas, Sir Brian Leveson, Lady Justice Hallett, Mr Justice Openshaw and Mr Justice Sweeney, begin hearing an appeal brought by Sgt Blackman to overturn his murder conviction at the Court Martial Appeal Court in London. March 13 - The Court Martial Appeal Court announces the appeal ruling will be given on March 15. March 15 - Sgt Blackman has his murder conviction replaced with manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility by the Court. March 24 - Judges delay decision on sentencing March 28: Sgt Blackman is given a new seven year sentence, granting him near-immediate release Advertisement

Video of Marine A shooting dead the injured Taliban fighter will not be released because terrorists would use it as a recruiting tool

Top judges refused to release footage of Royal Marine Alexander Blackman shooting dead a Taliban fighter in Afghanistan over fears it would be used as a tool to recruit terrorists.

The media had applied for permission to show three video clips of the killing on 15 September 2011.

The footage, recorded on the helmet-mounted camera of another Royal Marine show Blackman blasting an injured insurgent in the chest at close range.

Audio, which captures Blackman quoting Shakespeare as he tells his victim 'shuffle off this mortal coil, you c***,' along with stills from the video, are already in the public domain.

Delivering the judgement refusing to release the clips, The Lord Chief Justice Lord Thomas said: 'Whilst I have no doubt the broadcasters and newspapers would have treated the clips properly, I also have no doubt that would be recorded and used by terrorist organisations to radicalise others and used to justify the claim the West is at war with Islam and operated outside its own legal restraints.'

The Ministry of Defence released footage of the moments leading up to the incident where Marine A killed the Taliban fighter

The footage, pictured, was filmed on a helmet-mounted video camera worn by one of the junior Marines in the patrol, Corporal Christopher Watson

The newly-released video clips do not show the shooting incident itself, but shots can be heard in the background as the Marine patrol searches for the insurgents

Video extracts from the Marine A incident were released for the first time last month.

They show a patrol of Marines watching a British Apache helicopter gunship hovering in the sky as it unleashes a barrage of fire at a Taliban fighter.

The clattering from the gunship's fearsome 30mm cannon can be heard clearly.

It is the opening scene of what became the most controversial episode in the Afghanistan war – culminating in the jailing of Sergeant Alexander Blackman, known as Marine A.

The Ministry of Defence released the video in February following a court application by the BBC, The Guardian and other media organisations.

The dramatic footage comes from a helmet-mounted video camera worn by one of the junior Marines in Sgt Blackman's patrol.

The video was used to convict Sgt Blackman at his court martial in 2013 but has never been seen by the public, as it was ruled too inflammatory and a potential 'propaganda gift to terrorists'.

In a ruling the High Court did not agree to release the full video - but permitted its partial release, allowing the opening scenes of the episode to be viewed by the public for the first time.

The video clips do not show the shooting incident itself, only some of the events leading up to it.

The footage begins in a grassy field shortly after two insurgents had been spotted creeping up on a remote British outpost in Helmand Province.

An Apache was summoned from Camp Bastion to counter their stealth attack, and Sgt Blackman's patrol was sent out too.

The aircrew spotted one of the gunmen in a cornfield.

As the Marines watch, several bursts of loud gunfire can be heard as the Apache unleashes 139 rounds from its 30mm cannon.

The Marines, positioned some distance away, can be heard shouting 'Come on!' and 'I think he's dead'.

As might be expected of young troops in a dangerous battlefield, their language is coarse as they are heard discussing the Apache crew's aim.

A voice says: 'They've missed him. They've f***ing missed the cheeser.'

The Marines accuse the Apache crew of 'error after error after error' and suggest they should have fired a Hellfire rocket instead.

The next clip from the blisteringly hot afternoon in September 2011 shows Sgt Blackman and Jack Hammond, known as Marine C, walking over to examine the wounded man.

They found an AK47, spare ammunition and a hand grenade lying by his blood-soaked body in the 50C heat. The insurgent cannot be seen.

The rest of the episode including the shooting will not be shown publicly, but the story of what happened next is well known.

Sgt Blackman shot the insurgent, famously quoting from Hamlet as he said: 'Shuffle off this mortal coil.'

Other footage shows the patrol moving through a field and holding their positions as they search for the Taliban fighters

Sgt Blackman led his patrol into the cornfield where they found an AK47, spare ammunition and a hand grenade by the insurgent's 'blood-soaked' body

The clips were released following a High Court application from media organisations including the BBC

After Sgt Blackman's court martial, three judges ruled that the video of the shooting incident should not be made public.

At the time, government terrorism experts had advised the judges that Sgt Blackman and his family could be at risk from Islamic extremists.

Paul Mott, the deputy head of the government's Research Information and Communications Unit, said at the time that the video was 'a gift in propaganda terms'.

The court martial's Judge Advocate General, Jeff Blackett, ruled that the release of the video would 'generate significant feelings of anger and revenge among certain people and will incite attacks on British service personnel at home and abroad'.