Marine 'A' Alexander Blackman will be 'released within two weeks'

Alexander Blackman Credit: Andrew Parsons/PA

The royal marine jailed for killing an injured Taliban fighter in Afghanistan will be freed from prison "within two weeks" after being handed a new sentence.

Sergeant Alexander Blackman, 42, known as Marine A, was originally sentenced to life in prison for the murder of an injured Taliban fighter in Afghanistan.

But his lawyer confirmed he will walk free in as little as two weeks after a judge reduced his sentenced to manslaughter and handed him a new sentence of seven years - of which he has already served three-and-a-half.

Video footage, recorded on a camera mounted to the helmet of another Royal Marine, captured the moment he shot the insurgent before saying: "There you are. Shuffle off this mortal coil, you c***. It's nothing you wouldn't do to us."

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

Mr Blackman's wife Claire told reporters outside court that she was "overjoyed" at her husband's reduced sentence.

Oliver Lee, a former colonel of the Royal Marines and Blackman's commanding officer in September 2011, also welcomed the news that the former marine "has now been dealt with justly and fairly".

He added: "My hope now is that the many lessons from this tragic case will be learned and the Royal Marines can look forward to another 350 years of highly distinguished service."

The new sentencing comes following a Court Martial Appeal Court hearing earlier this month which overturned his conviction reducing it to manslaughter on the grounds of "diminished responsibility".

Five judges found Mr Blackman had been suffering from an "abnormality of mental functioning" when he shot a Taliban insurgent whilst serving in Helmand Province with Plymouth-based 42 Commando in 2011.