On December 6, Marine A is to be sentenced by a Court Martial Board for the brutal murder of a Taliban captive. His conviction is the first time a British serviceman has been found guilty of murder during the Afghan conflict.

The Telegraph is calling for leniency in the sentence handed down to Marine A. Two other Marines, B and C, alleged to have been "party to the killing" were acquitted following a two-and-a-half week hearing which ended last week. While in no way condoning the murder of the captive, the Telegraph believes this case needs to be seen in context of the terrible mental strain our battle-hardened troops have been, and continue to be, subjected to in Afghanistan – a conflict that, since 2001, has claimed 446 British lives and inflicted horrific injuries on many hundreds more.

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