Murder or not murder

[LONDONER]

A British marine has been found guilty of murder when he shot a wounded Afghan in the chest. In the voice recording taken from video camera o fone of his fellow soldier's with him at the time, he is heard to say: "There, shuffle off this mortal coil you c***... It's nothing you wouldn't do to us." followed by "Obviously this doesn't go anywhere fellas. I just broke the Geneva Convention," to which Marine B replies: "Yeah, roger mate."

A high ranking British army officer has asked for clemency saying that the British soldiers in Afghanistan are working under difficult and stressful condition. He admits that it was murder but..........

What are your opinions? Was this just cold blooded murder or was it a gut reaction under stressful conditions? What sort of sentence do you think he should receive?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24870699

[stu]

Legally it's murder but I would be leniant if I was handing down the sentance. You can't expect people to fight and to only kill the enemy when the rule book allows especially with an enemy as evil as the Taliban.

[Genersis]

I think it's murder.
I understand why some people call for leniency, but military personnel should be the most trusted not to kill people out of revenge, not less.
Giving military personnel shorter sentences for murder, even of a neutralised enemy combatant in a conflict zone, would not reflect that.

[Edward]

Murder, a disgusting murder.

[Ekwarph]

A British marine has been found guilty of murder when he shot a wounded Afghan in the chest.

...
What are your opinions? Was this just cold blooded murder or was it a gut reaction under stressful conditions? What sort of sentence do you think he should receive?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24870699

No, I think it's normal.
When I have difficulties in my job, ,which makes me work in stressful conditions I kill my boss, I don't see the problem actually.

[LONDONER]

For what it may be worth, my own opinion is that it was cold blooded murder. The Geneva Convention was established exactly for this reason. No matter how disgusting the Taliban may be, this marine lost all humanity in doing what he did and he could expect the same sort of retaliation from his enemies. We should set examples by our deeds. If those involved in this act had done what they were supposed to do; carry the wounded man to a field hospital, he, the Taliban, would be able to see that we are not the monsters that they are led to believe.

If not a life sentence, he deserves a minimum of 20 years in jail.

[Dreamer]

Murder!

The adorable and lovely war machine takes pride (behind closed doors)
and zero thought when slaughtering countless numbers of innocent civilians,
woman and children everyday,
under that very generous broad umbrella of "collateral damage";
when a microscopic fraction of that machine is caught red handed
in the almost nonexistent instance
where it's convicted for indulging in that murder gluttony,
(to relax public relation tensions with the public)
usually given the deliberate blind eye by it's string-pullers,
it's a good thing!

[stu]

Was fire bombing German cities during WWII justifiable? Would it have been justifiable if the war could not be done without doing it?

[southbiochem]

Legally speaking, it's a murder...

Morally sepaking, a cold blooded and uncalled for murder..

he should be trialed as such one pestilent killer..

my boss makes me stressed and angry EVERYDAY, I don't kill her because of it

[LONDONER]

Was fire bombing German cities during WWII justifiable? Would it have been justifiable if the war could not be done without doing it?

Hi Stu: While I understand your question, please don't go off topic. The OP was specifically about this case. To broadedn the subject will just dilute it.