Marine 'A' Alexander Blackman released from prison
The Royal Marine jailed for killing an injured Taliban fighter in Afghanistan has been released from prison.
Alexander Blackman, 42, known as Marine A, had his conviction for murder quashed last month and his sentence changed from life in prison to seven years for manslaughter.
The appeal court accepted the grounds of diminished responsibility as he was suffering from a mental illness, known as adjustment disorder.
It was argued that during his tour of duty in Helmand during 2011 Sergeant Blackman and his men had been overstretched and under resourced.
Author and former RAF fighter pilot Frederick Forsyth told ITV News: "Your mind can be shredded by stress, horror, fear, sleep deprivation, exhaustion and combat fatigue.
"And eventually, you're not fit for purpose. And that was a state he had been driven to - by bad officership and abandonment in this hell hole camp."
Mr Blackman was released from Erlestoke Prison, Devizes, just before 12.20am on Friday morning, hidden in the back of an unmarked police car.
He had lost close colleagues in Taliban attacks and was suffering from an undiagnosed adjustment disorder.
The former Sergeant has had many supporters campaigning for his release since he was sentenced to prison in 2013.
Mr Blackman's conviction came after video footage recorded on a camera mounted to the helmet of another Royal Marine, captured the moment he shot the insurgent.
At the time he said he believed the fighter was already dead and he was merely taking his anger out on a corpse.
He was "dismissed with disgrace" from the Royal Marines after serving for distinction for 15 years.