Royal Marine Sgt Alexander Blackman could be freed this Friday when England's most senior judge hears an application for him to be allowed bail while he awaits an appeal hearing against his murder conviction.

The Lord Chief Justice, Lord Thomas, will preside over the bail application - an "unprecedented" decision that reflects the gravity of the case, according to Blackman's barrister Jonathan Goldberg QC.

Lord Thomas will be urged to free the 42-year-old on bail on account of his "great integrity" and several prominent figures offering to pay a surety totalling £200,000.

Blackman, known as Marine A, is serving a life sentence for murdering a wounded Afghan captive, but an independent review concluded he faces the "real possibility" of having his conviction quashed following the presentation of new evidence.