A sergeant in the British Royal Marines was found guilty of murdering an insurgent during a court-martial on Friday, after helmet camera footage of him emerged showing him shooting the man in the chest at close-range.
The man, identified only as marine A, faces a life in prison after being found guilty of murder, the Guardian reported. He and two other Royal Marines were on trial for their actions during a Sept. 2011 patrol in Afghanistan’s Helmand province.
Footage captured by a camera mounted on a helmet during a patrol in Afghanistan in Sept. 2011, showed a British Royal Marine shooting a man in the chest. The Royal Marine was found guilty of murder during a court-martial in England on Friday.
(AP Photo/Ministry of Defence)
Royal Marine A was accused of dragging an insurgent who was hit in a helicopter attack to the side of a field and shooting him in the chest.
The act was caught on a helmet camera, worn by marine B, the Guardian reported. Marine A can be heard quoting Shakespeare before shooting the man.
“There you are, shuffle off this mortal coil … It’s nothing you wouldn’t do to us,” he said.
He can then be heard instructing the others to keep the video to themselves.
“Obviously, this doesn’t go anywhere, fellas,” he said. “I’ve just broke the Geneva Convention.”
The video wasn’t released after the government argued it would be a recruitment gift for terrorists and could lead “lone wolves” to attack British troops or citizens in revenge, the Guardian reported.
The two other Royal Marines were cleared.
Brigadier Bill Dunham, the Royal Marines’ deputy commandant general, released a statement after the verdict was issued. He said they respected the jury’s decision.
“What we have heard over the last two weeks is not consistent with the ethos, values and standards of the Royal Marines,” Dunham said. “It was a truly shocking and appalling aberration. It should not have happened and it should never happen again.”
The Royal Marines would consider the impact the case should have on training given to its personnel, he added.
The sentiment mirrored the Marine Corps’ decision to crackdown on cameras used outside the wire following the infamous urination video and the footage of scout snipers posing with a Nazi-era SS flag.
The Royal Marine who was found guilty is expected to receive his sentence December.
8 Comments
This is nonsense. He killed a bad guy. Too bad he couldn’t erase the tape.
This is ludicrous…those bastards would not do that to him, they would do far WORSE…like decapitate him with a knife. We (and our allies…while we still have some) need to get out of the Middle Desert and let the goat-rapists kill each other…
How sad, once again we see that the enemy has more rights than those sent to combat those that would willing kill as many innocent civilians as possible. This enemy would without thinking twice kill the Marine if giving the chance. This is so wrong, it’s time to send the politicians to do that fighting, & lets see if they come back the same or come back @ all..Having served in Iraq during OIF 1 & 2 I support what this Marine did, it’s just a shame he didn’t delete the video.
Let that be a lesson to all you warriors…. DELETE THE DAMN VIDEOS! DELETE THE DAMN PICTURES! OR SHOW THEM TO NO ONE!
Really a sad thing for the Marine. My heart goes out to him because I am sure what he had seen there caused him to take it out on that terrorist.
I hope they consider his battle record and service. It should have been considered temorary insanity or something. The terrorist was the REAL one at fault !!!
I dont know that the video could have been deleted. Most of the time that stuff is transmitted offsite or made so the battlefield soldier cant access it. But Im with everyone else. I dont see why he should be punished for killing a terrorists that was most likely going to die anyway. Depending on the helo, the round he was hit with probably would have seen him to his 72 virgins eventually.
Did everyone that sat in judgement of this young Marine also serve in combat? Did each of them see what insurgents do to our troops? If a person hasn’t walked the same mile than they shouldn’t stand in judgement.
Wow, our Marine brothers over the pond get burned for the same bullshit we as US Marines do for just pissing on the fucking pieces of shit.
This world needs a reset, war is hell and hell is war gentleman, what part of that fucking statement did you not CLEARLY UNDERSTAND.
GIVE HIM HIS HONOR BACK! LET HIM FREE!
Semper Fu…