'Marine A' Alexander Blackman will not be home for Christmas after a judge today denied him bail.

His wife Claire was in court as the Lord Chief Justice Lord Thomas blocked his immediate release from prison where he is serving a life sentence for shooting a Taliban fighter in Afghanistan.

She looked crestfallen when she heard Sgt Blackman, 42, must stay in jail as he awaits a fresh appeal to his murder conviction, which will be heard later next year.

But outside the court Mrs Blackman was defiant and said that despite the disappointment that her husband won't be freed he still has the chance to appeal against his conviction.

Surrounded by her husband's supporters she admitted the family was 'disappointed' but said the 'appeal is the most important step towards getting Al's conviction and sentence overturned'.

She added: 'We are grateful to the courts for expediting the appeal process' because his case could be now heard in January or February.

Proud: Claire Blackman was defiant and said that despite the disappointment that her husband won't be freed he still has the chance to appeal against his conviction next year

Court battle: Jailed Royal Marine Sergeant Alexander Blackman has won the right to a fresh appeal - but today his wife Claire, pictured today outside court, was told he cannot come home for Christmas

Claire Blackman (centre) arrives at the Royal Courts of Justice in London, where her husband, who was found guilty of murder, was told he must stay in jail

Blackman's wife Claire and hundreds of supporters swamped the Royal Courts of Justice in the hope a judge ordered his freedom but were left disappointed

Lord Thomas continued reporting restrictions imposed at a hearing last Friday which prevents reporting of the details of the proceedings.

But, he gave the go-ahead for the court's ruling on the bail application and other matters to be publicised.

In the judgment, Lord Thomas said the 'practice of the court is always to expedite appeals, rather than release on bail'.

Claire Blackman, wife of Alexander Blackman, arrives at the High Court in London before the disappointing decision

He said that 'despite the unprecedented nature of this case', the court 'can see no basis for departing from what is that practice'.

After the judgment black cab drivers sounded their horns as they carried out a go-slow outside the High Court in support of the jailed marine.

Earlier his wife smiled outside court as she arrived with dozens of supporters - but has said that she was 'trying hard not to get excited' about his possible release.

Lawyers acting for Sergeant Alexander Blackman, 42, of Taunton in Somerset, failed to persuade two judges at the Court Martial Appeal Court in London to free him from prison.

The bail move followed the announcement by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), the independent body that investigates possible miscarriages of justice, of its decision to refer Blackman's conviction and sentence to the court for review.

Blackman watched Wednesday's proceedings via video link from jail. His wife Claire was in the packed courtroom with dozens of supporters.

Blackman was convicted in November 2013 by a court martial in Bulford, Wiltshire, and sentenced to life with a minimum term of 10 years, which was later reduced to eight years on appeal because of the combat stress from which he was suffering at the time of the incident.

He shot the insurgent in Helmand province in 2011 while serving with Plymouth-based 42 Commando.

There was a loud sigh of disappointment from supporters in the public gallery as the decision to refuse bail was announced by Lord Chief Justice Lord Thomas, sitting with Mr Justice Sweeney.

The CCRC referred the case for review following an 11-month 'in-depth' investigation.

It announced it had concluded that a number of new issues, including fresh evidence relating to Blackman's mental state, 'raise a real possibility' that the Court Martial Appeal Court 'will now quash Mr Blackman's murder conviction'.

His wife Claire had said she was 'trying hard not to get excited' about his possible release

Wedding day: Sgt Alexander Blackman with his wife Claire when they married in 2009 - but reunion hopes were dashed

Former Royal Marines gather outside the High Court in London where Royal Marine, Sergeant Alexander Blackman, was told he must remain in jail

Sgt Blackman has spent three years in HMP Erlestoke, in Wiltshire, for the shooting of a wounded Taliban fighter in Afghanistan in 2011

Blackman shot the insurgent, who had been seriously injured in an attack by an Apache helicopter, in the chest at close range with a 9mm pistol before quoting a phrase from Shakespeare as the man convulsed and died in front of him.

Blackman told him: 'There you are. Shuffle off this mortal coil, you c***. It's nothing you wouldn't do to us.'

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

The shooting was captured on a camera mounted on the helmet of another Royal Marine.

During his trial, Blackman - who denied murder and was known at that stage as Marine A - said he believed the victim was already dead and he was taking out his anger on a corpse.

He was 'dismissed with disgrace' from the Royal Marines after serving with distinction for 15 years, including tours of Iraq, Afghanistan and Northern Ireland.

Blackman was convicted in November 2013 by a court martial in Bulford, Wiltshire, and sentenced to life with a minimum term of 10 years

The bail application was heard last Friday, but Lord Chief Justice Lord Thomas and Mr Justice Openshaw adjourned the case until today.

Blackman was convicted in November 2013 by a court martial in Bulford, Wiltshire, and sentenced to life with a minimum term of 10 years.

In May 2014, the Court Martial Appeal Court rejected his conviction challenge, but reduced the minimum term - the least he must serve before becoming eligible to apply for parole - to eight years because of the combat stress disorder he was suffering from at the time of the incident.

During his trial, Blackman - who denied murder and was known at that stage as Marine A - said he believed the victim was already dead and he was taking out his anger on a corpse.

He was 'dismissed with disgrace' from the Royal Marines after serving with distinction for 15 years, including tours of Iraq, Afghanistan and Northern Ireland.

After an 11-month investigation, the CCRC announced it had concluded that a number of new issues 'raise a real possibility' that the Court Martial Appeal Court 'will now quash Mr Blackman's murder conviction'.

YET COURT LET ROLF HARRIS HAVE HIS FREEDOM TWICE Rolf Harris, 86, was granted conditional bail during his trial at Southwark Crown Court in London while accused of 12 historical sex offences. But after being found guilty of all the charges of indecent assault, the shamed entertainer was granted bail for another four days until his sentencing hearing. He was jailed for five years and nine months in 2014.

Anjem Choudary was bailed as he awaited trial last December for encouraging support for Islamic State. The hate preacher had already been sent back to custody for breaching bail restrictions. Bail was then granted again at the Old Bailey, on a £15,000 surety. In September he was locked up for five-and-a-half years.

David Smith admitted grooming two girls aged 12 and 13 for sexual activities but was told sentencing would be delayed and he would be given bail. Warwick Crown Court allowed the lorry driver to marry and have a two-week honeymoon before returning to court.

Aaron Vize, a 24-year-old from Belfast, is on bail despite being accused of attacking his father with a hammer and choking his brother until he lost consciousness on November 18. He was released on bail by a judge on the condition that he lived as far away as possible from his father’s home. Vize wept in court as he was released on his bail of £300 with a surety of £500. He was ordered to follow a curfew and wear a tag. Advertisement

Former Royal Marine Commandos show their support by walking from Parliament Square to Downing Street in October 2015 - they returned in force to court today

MARINE A JUDGE RULED ON BREXIT AND ASSANGE CASES Lord Chief Justice John Thomas The judge who ruled on Marine A's bail today was one of the three who sided with Gina Miller's Brexit case to stop Theresa May triggering Ariticle 50. Lord Chief Justice John Thomas was educated at Cambridge, he also attended the University of Chicago. He married an American, Elizabeth, and they have a grown-up son and daughter. In 2011 he and his wife banked £1million when they swapped their £2.6million five-bedroom home for a £1.6million townhouse close to the Thames. He has spoken up in favour of freedom of the Press – and he beat Lord Justice Leveson to become the Lord Chief Justice. In 2014, he spoke out in favour of Parliament's right to decide which crimes were so serious an offender should never go free – and criticised Strasbourg judges for saying such sentences breached the European Convention on Human Rights. As a High Court judge, the 69-year-old refused Wikileaks head Julian Assange's appeal against extradition to Sweden and radical cleric Abu Hamza's attempt to avoid extradition to the US. He was also once accused of trying to silence a High Court judge who had championed the institution of marriage. In 2013, he rebuked Sir Paul Coleridge for 'bringing the judiciary into disrepute' after speaking out in favour of traditional marriage and describing the devastating impact of family break-up on children. Lord Thomas has a record of displaying short-tempered impatience over the tricks of immigration lawyers. When a Bangladeshi student's lawyers made two last-minute applications to keep him in the country on the eve of his deportation, the judge described it as 'an intolerable waste of public money', an abuse of the courts, and 'totally without merit', and threatened lawyers who acted in the same way in the future with 'vigorous action'. Advertisement

The Mail's long battle to win justice

Royal Marine Alexander Blackman was the first known British serviceman to be jailed for murder on a foreign battlefield.

SAM GREENHILL charts the case and the path to justice.

December 7, 2013

CASUALTY OF WAR

DECEMBER 7, 2013

The Daily Mail reports how Sergeant Alexander Blackman, previously named only as Marine A, was jailed for life after shooting a fatally injured Taliban fighter.

A SHAMEFUL INJUSTICE

SEPTEMBER 11, 2015

The Mail uncovers vital evidence that was 'deliberately withheld'. One officer quit his commission in disgust at being blocked from testifying in support of Sgt Blackman.

FALL GUY FOR A FIASCO

SEPTEMBER 11, 2015

Sgt Blackman tells the Mail about the 'tour from hell' in Afghanistan. He says one mistake under extreme stress made him the fall guy.

September 11, 2015

COVER-UP PLOT EXPOSED

SEPTEMBER 12, 2015

The Ministry of Defence is accused of cover-ups, including trying to censor an internal report casting doubt on the Marine's conviction.

BOMBSHELL REPORT LEAKED

SEPTEMBER 17, 2015

The internal report is leaked to the Mail. It reveals Sgt Blackman was failed by senior officers and put under unimaginable pressure.

FAMILIES JOIN CAMPAIGN

SEPTEMBER 21, 2015

Families of Marines killed by the Taliban on Sgt Blackman's 'tour from hell' poignantly join the campaign to review his conviction.

FIGHTING FUND TOPS £750K

OCTOBER 5, 2015

In less than a month, generous Mail readers raise an incredible £750,000 – enough to fund a team of lawyers to pursue a new appeal.

September 17, 2015

DEFIANCE OF THE MARINES

OCTOBER 28, 2015

Royal Marines past and present rally in Parliament Square in support of their jailed comrade.

SHAMEFUL PLOT

DECEMBER 12, 2015

We expose a plot to keep Sgt Blackman behind bars. A leaked document reveals the determination of senior officers to block efforts to overturn his conviction.

APPEAL IS LAUNCHED

DECEMBER 16, 2015

Accompanied by 500 green beret-wearing supporters, Sgt Blackman's wife Claire delivers a seven-file dossier to the Criminal Cases Review Commission.

WILL HE EVER GET JUSTICE?

October 5, 2015

SEPTEMBER 19, 2016

A year after our campaign is launched, the Mail reveals bureaucratic delays to Sgt Blackman's fight for justice.

At the same time, British troops are being hounded by ambulance-chasing lawyers over other incidents in the line of duty.

SHOW OF SUPPORT

OCTOBER 28, 2016

More than 2,000 ex-Marines and members of the public flood Parliament Square to demand justice. They hear speeches and messages from the former director of Special Forces Major General John Holmes and Marines Falklands commander Major General Julian Thompson.

NEW HOPE

DECEMBER 6, 2016