The wife of Marine A has spoken of the pain of her husband’s wrongful conviction for murder robbing her of half of her marriage, as judges ruled that he must spend at least another weekend in jail.

Claire Blackman appeared as a surprise character witness at the Royal Courts of Justice yesterday, where supporters had gathered in the hope Alexander Blackman would finally walk free.

During the hearing, Blackman, who in 2013 was given a life sentence for the murder of a wounded Taliban insurgent in Afghanistan, was described by his defence barrister as “the last victim of a failed war”.