The man was attacked late on July 4 off the coast of Surf City, North Carolina, before being taken to the Camp Lejeune Naval Hospital where he was treated for five hours before being released.

Joseph Galli, 22, of Somerville, pictured, and Alexander Norrell, 23, of Ridgewood, were indicted for the shooting at the Old Paramus Reformed Church in Ridgewood, New Jersey.

Only a few days before the Alexander Blackman shot a Taliban casualty, Oliver Lee (pictured) had been made the Marine's de facto Commanding Officer, although they had never met.

Claire Blackman, who says she is 'immensely proud' of her husband who 'lived for the Royal Marines', helped launch the campaign and thanked supporters around the world.

Military chiefs are plotting to cover up a damning report that could help free Sgt Alexander Blackman jailed for murder with top brass planning to 'sweep under the carpet' evidence that could clear the Marine.

Covered in the censor’s black ink, this is the official report the Navy plans to publish into the shooting incident – with only Blackman’s name visible. The report draws ‘challenging’ conclusions about failures through the chain of command.

Commissioned by the Royal Navy’s Fleet Commander, Vice Admiral Sir Philip Jones, and conducted by a respected Royal Marine brigadier, the investigation into the court martial of Sergeant Alexander Blackman took almost a year longer than expected.

Being married to a convicted criminal can never be easy. How much harder, though, to be Mrs Alexander Blackman — certain that her husband has been the victim of a miscarriage of justice.

Author Frederick Forsyth, 77, raises the possibility that the Taliban fighter shot by Sergeant Alexander Blackman may well have been dead at the moment that the Marine fired at him.

Sergeant Blackman, who is thought to be the only British serviceman jailed for murder on the battlefield, is serving life for shooting a fatally wounded Taliban insurgent in Afghanistan.

Lord Burnett, who was a Royal Marine commando for seven years, said the court martial which found Alexander Blackman guilty of murder for shooting a wounded Taliban gunman, was flawed.

Retired headmistress Serena Alexander said everyone in the unit was ‘dreadfully traumatised’ by the tour, which claimed the life of her son Sam, 28, (pictured) and six of his comrades.

Research by the Daily Mail shows that dozens of killers, rapists and violent attackers are escaping with much lower sentences than that of Royal Marine Alexander Blackman (pictured).

Tragic David O'Sullivan, 25, from Abbey Hulton in Staffordshire, was finally diagnosed with PTSD just three days before he collapsed and died from a drugs overdose while on leave in 2012.

Sergeant Alex Blackman went into hell many times for the corps and this country - and he gave the senior officer corps of the Royal Marines his total loyalty, writes FREDERICK FORSYTH.

More than 1,000 veterans marched to Parliament in support of comrade Alexander Blackman, who is serving eight years for killing a Taliban captive in the heat of battle in Afghanistan in 2011.

Lawyers for Sergeant Alexander Blackman – who was jailed for life for killing a wounded Taliban fighter – are drawing up an application to petition the Criminal Cases Review Commission.

Claire Blackman will hand a dossier to the Criminal Cases Review Commission in Birmingham as part of a push to have her husband's case sent back to the Court of Appeal.

Claire Blackman, wife of Sgt Alex Blackman - otherwise known as Marine A - said new key evidence is being handed to the Criminal Cases Review Commission in Birmingham today.

The battle for justice for Sergeant Alexander Blackman of the Royal Marines continues to stand out as one of the most striking legal campaigns of recent times. Pictured, supporters in Birmingham.

An official review has cast doubt on Sergeant Alexander Blackman's conviction for killing a Taliban insurgent and concluded it could be overturned as a miscarriage of justice.

His wife Claire was in court as the Lord Chief Justice denied his immediate release from prison where he is serving a life sentence for shooting a Taliban fighter.

Judge Jeff Blackett has been criticised by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) for failing to offer a jury the chance to convict Alexander Blackman of manslaughter.

Several ex-SAS war heroes have spoken out in support of Sergeant Alexander Blackman and said they killed badly wounded Argentinian soldiers in the Falklands to 'end their suffering'.

Some 500 supporters were expected to throng The Strand in London in solidarity with the jailed Royal Marine. An even greater number is expected tomorrow.

The Reverend Nigel Beardsley told military police that he did not visit the Afghan checkpoint where the marine (pictured) was based because he was warned it was simply too dangerous.

Royal Marine Alexander Blackman, who shot an injured Taliban fighter in Afghanistan, will find out the result of an appeal against his murder conviction on Wednesday.

His wife Claire grinned and there were loud gasps and then cheers from his family, ex-Marines and other supporters as Court of Appeal judges quashed Alexander Blackman's conviction.

Sergeant Alexander Blackman had his murder conviction overturned on Wednesday after he was jailed for shooting a wounded Taliban insurgent in Afghanistan in 2011.

Sergeant Blackman became the first British serviceman to be convicted of murder on a foreign battlefield. He has now had his conviction quashed following an appeal in London.

As Sergeant Alexander Blackman was already in jail, the police and Crown Prosecution Service were no longer interested in the case and Professor Neil Greenberg had to do his own information-gathering.

Colonel Oliver Lee - one of the few top brass to emerge with credit (pictured in Afghanistan) – resigned in protest at the treatment of Sgt Blackman.

Standing outside the High Court on Wednesday was a shy, unassuming woman clearly unused to the media spotlight. It was Claire Blackman, wife of Sergeant Alexander Blackman.

Frances Blackman’s son Alexander became the country’s most talked-about Royal Marine when he was jailed for life – on his mother’s 74th birthday – after the most controversial episode of the Afghan war.

Sergeant Alexander Blackman killed more than 30 of the ‘Queen’s enemies’ during his service in the Royal Marines, a court heard yesterday.

Alexander Blackman offered his ‘profound and heartfelt’ thanks to Mail readers after learning he will be freed within weeks for killing an injured Taliban fighter in Afghanistan in 2011.

EXCLUSIVE: It was the moment the couple have dreamed of since the commando was jailed for life in December 2013 for shooting a Taliban fighter in Afghanistan.

Sgt Alexander Blackman - known as Marine A - has joined a new scheme supporting wounded servicemen find work, which was officially launched yesterday at the Houses of Parliament.

If employers or other authority figures are dragging their feet over something that is important to you, you will just have to grin and bear it.

‘They don’t say Agatha Christie is cosy, do they? My books are very easy to read, which means people assume they’re easy to write, which isn’t the case'

It goes without saying that the supermodel’s new baby Matilda and partner Steph are his first loves. But it was adopting rescue pup Dora that made him settle down and prepare for first-time fatherhood

Gloria, a raucously flamboyant Shoreditch trattoria, doesn’t do things by halves. Like a kitsch explosion in a Dolce & Gabbana factory

Easter is a big deal at Smith Towers. My eldest daughter celebrates her 14th birthday today and next Sunday, what we cook for our Easter roast is the hottest topic this week

Earlier this week, and ahead of VE Day today, Sophie Wessex, 55, Prince Edward, 56, and Princess Anne, all telephoned several veterans to learn about their experiences in the war.

Schoolteacher Rennie Williams who led many pupils to safety during the Aberfan disaster has died age 86. She helped children escape as a coal tip engulfed Pantglas Junior School in 1966.

The Strictly star said he knew Jonathon was the one on their first date and decided to marry again after Jonathon helped him plant a garden to remember the love he had for his father.

The victim, a woman in her 40s, was found in the property in Reigate, Surrey shortly before 7am on Friday. Officers confirmed that the victim's next of kin have been informed about her death.

One Daily Mail reader has donated an astonishing £100,000 to a new fund to buy protective kit for NHS and care staff. This brings Mail Force donations to £1.7million which is expected to increase.

Tom Watson's appointment as chairman of UK Music has triggered an extraordinary backlash, with insiders warning of a shattering split as they demand evidence of his qualifications for the role.

Data from the Office for National Statistics shows there were 8,196 more deaths at home in England, Wales and Scotland compared with the five-year average for this time of year.