Marines murder trial hears Afghan prisoner 'executed'

[cronus]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24639642

Marines murder trial hears Afghan prisoner 'executed'

An injured Afghan prisoner was "executed" by a British commando, a court martial has heard.

Three Royal Marines, who cannot be named, are charged with murdering the unknown man while on duty in 2011.

One of the men, known as Marine A, is accused of shooting the prisoner in the chest at close range.

A helmet-mounted camera inadvertently filmed the incident and the footage was shown to the court. The three deny the charges against them.

Charges against two further marines - D and E - were dropped in February but the anonymity order granted last year remains in place.

Last November, Judge Advocate General Jeff Blackett said the defendants would be at "real and immediate risk" from "organised terrorist activity and lone wolves", if their names were made public.

Speaking to the board at the Military Court Centre in Bulford, Wiltshire, prosecutor David Perry said the murder took place on 15 September 2011 when the three defendants were on active service.

"The prosecution case is that Marine A used a pistol and deliberately shot and killed the unknown man.

"It was not a killing in the heat and exercise of any armed conflict. The prosecution case is that it amounted to an execution, a field execution," he said.

Even though Marine A used the pistol, Marines B and C "encouraged and assisted Marine A in carrying out the killing," he added.

Mr Perry said the incident had occurred after a patrol base in Helmand Province had come under attack from small arms fire from two insurgents.

The Afghan prisoner had been seriously injured by gunfire fired from an Apache helicopter sent to provide air support, which he described as a legitimate operation.

The marines had come across the injured man in a field, the court heard. Marine A wanted to move him from an area where an air balloon, known as a PGSS, was in use for observation.

"He knew full well what he was going to do," Mr Perry said.

The court heard that after Marine A shot the Afghan prisoner with a 9mm pistol he used offensive language and said: "There you are. Shuffle off this mortal coil... It's nothing you wouldn't do to us."

(continued)

[mistermack]

I wondered what was wrong here. It seemed beyond the realms of possibility that the army would have brought this action against soldiers, even if the evidence was a hundred percent solid.

Then following the link, I see that it's the civilian police who found the video, on the squaddie's laptop. He's obviously been investigated for some other crime and this turned up.

I'll bet the civvie police were leaned on quite heavily to drop it. Off the record of course.
But nobody in the civilian police would want to take the risk of being part of a cover-up.

It just shows though, that the ''coalition'' troops know perfectly well that they can get away with murder, and feel quite safe in killing for the fun of it. It's only his own stupid fault that it has come out.

So George Bush can chalk another brutal killing up on his tally.

No wonder the Taliban are so popular over there.

[Warren Dew]

So George Bush can chalk another brutal killing up on his tally.

You mean Barack Obama, since this was in 2011, long after the end of Bush's last term.

[cronus]

So George Bush can chalk another brutal killing up on his tally.

You mean Barack Obama, since this was in 2011, long after the end of Bush's last term.

I blame the parents for teaching bad basics.

[piscator]

It just shows though, that the ''coalition'' troops know perfectly well that they can get away with murder, and feel quite safe in killing for the fun of it. It's only his own stupid fault that it has come out.

What makes you think he killed the raghead for fun? There may be lots to this you're not privy to.

[cronus]

It just shows though, that the ''coalition'' troops know perfectly well that they can get away with murder, and feel quite safe in killing for the fun of it. It's only his own stupid fault that it has come out.

What makes you think he killed the raghead for fun? There may be lots to this you're not privy to.

Yeah, a good lawyer will get him out of this.

[piscator]

It just shows though, that the ''coalition'' troops know perfectly well that they can get away with murder, and feel quite safe in killing for the fun of it. It's only his own stupid fault that it has come out.

What makes you think he killed the raghead for fun? There may be lots to this you're not privy to.

Yeah, a good lawyer will get him out of this.

That's not what I said. Marine A could have been motivated by revenge or frustration rather than by entertainment. All any of us have heard is a journalist's rendition of the prosecution's case. There are at least 2 sides to every story, hence trials.

[cronus]

It just shows though, that the ''coalition'' troops know perfectly well that they can get away with murder, and feel quite safe in killing for the fun of it. It's only his own stupid fault that it has come out.

What makes you think he killed the raghead for fun? There may be lots to this you're not privy to.

Yeah, a good lawyer will get him out of this.

That's not what I said. Marine A could have been motivated by revenge or frustration rather than by entertainment. All any of us have heard is a journalist's rendition of the prosecution's case. There are at least 2 sides to every story, hence trials.

[JimC]

I hope he gets off...

Fuck 'em...

[Clinton Huxley]

If guilty of murder, the marine should be given a life term. We don't beat the enemy by becoming the enemy.

At the least, he should be charged with being a moron for forgetting the head-mounted camera.

[mistermack]

So George Bush can chalk another brutal killing up on his tally.

You mean Barack Obama, since this was in 2011, long after the end of Bush's last term.

I blame the parents for teaching bad basics.

It's George Bush's war. Obama can't be blamed for inheriting a war.
People are using the same stupid argument for everything Obama does. He took over from the worst US president in living memory. And that includes Nixon. Obama's options and opportunities were shit.

At the least, he should be charged with being a moron for forgetting the head-mounted camera.

He didn't forget it. The video was found on his laptop. The moron transferred the file and kept it. That's extra dumb.

And the video captures the talk of all three, and makes it clear what their motivation was. They would be better off pleading guilty, if it's as cut-and-dried as it seems. But maybe there's more to come.
They must be planning some kind of defence.

[cronus]

He wanted to be caught...moral wound.