Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Nightingale case decided on appeal

The Lord Chief Justice,
 Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd
In a ruling from the bench, the Courts Martial Appeal Court in London has denied leave to appeal in the case of SAS sniper sergeant Danny Nightingale. According to this account in the Guardian:
His lawyers told the appeal court that evidence from [SAS member and Nightingale's best friend and housemate] N's former father-in-law could suggest he had two pistols. It was also claimed that a medic called by the prosecution to give evidence about Nightingale's mental state stepped outside his areas of expertise.
Lord [Chief Justice Lord] Thomas [of Cwmgiedd] said there was a "substantial amount" of evidence presented to the trial that could have led to the court martial board's decision. This included "a very large amount of evidence" relating to soldier N's credibility. The three judges who heard the appeal were unimpressed by the arguments on the medic's evidence.
"In our judgment, none of this material goes anywhere to affecting the safety of this conviction, and for his reason and others we have given, we dismiss this application," Thomas said.
Also on the panel were Higginbottom and Baker, JJ. 

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