Today Taunton Deane MP, Rebecca Pow joined a rally to show solidarity for jailed marine Sgt Alexander Blackman and his wife, Taunton Constituent, Claire Warner. Hundreds of supporters turned out on Parliament Square, many of whom were former marines, to show their support.

Sgt Blackman was tried by court martial in 2013 and convicted of murder after shooting a wounded Taliban insurgent in 2011. Recently there have been calls for the case to be reviewed by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) after it emerged that crucial evidence had not been presented.

Rebecca attended the rally to support Claire who has been through unimaginable anguish and strain over the last two years but has decided that now is the time to speak up.

Whilst as a MP Rebecca cannot become involved in the legal process it is right that politicians help to raise the profile of this case and put pressure on the Government to release the appropriate material to Sgt Blackmans legal team.

Rebecca said:  

“I am glad that I was able to attend today to celebrate the 351st anniversary of the Royal Marines, support Claire and her family and reiterate the calls for fairness and justice.

We live in a commando town and I was pleased to see so many familiar Taunton faces. The majority of whom are former marines having served with 40 Commando over the years and understandably feel very strongly about this situation.

I was delighted to hear from Jonathan Goldberg QC that he feels there is a powerful new case to be heard, in part thanks to the new evidence released by the MoD as a direct result of the recent Westminster Hall Debate in which I spoke. They were hoping to present the report to the CCRC well before Christmas. This is a fantastic result for Claire and I hope that the legal case can now run smoothly with the full account of evidence available to all parties.”