Marine Alexander Blackman expresses 'profound sense of relief' as sentence cut

Royal Marine Alexander Blackman has talked of his "profound sense of relief" after he had his prison sentence reduced.

The commando, who has spent more than three years in jail since being convicted of murdering an injured Taliban fighter in Afghanistan, thanked his wife for her support.

Following an appeal, judges sentenced Blackman to seven years for diminished responsibility manslaughter, meaning that he could be out of prison next month because of time already served.

He told the Daily Mail he had been "braced for the worst" during the hearing at the Court Martial Appeal Court on Tuesday.

He said: "My heart sank when the judge started talking about my current sentence being the equivalent of 16 years, and I thought it was somehow leading to a larger sentence.

"I just felt a profound sense of relief when they said seven."

His wife Claire Blackman said she was "overjoyed" at the result, after tirelessly campaigning for her husband's release.

She said: "This is the moment that we have all been fighting hard for. It is hard to believe that this day is finally here."

Blackman said he is "an extremely lucky man to have Claire as a wife".

He added: "We hear so many other stories of relationships going bad when you are inside. That hasn't happened for us. Her love and support has simply sustained me."