SUPPORTERS of jailed former Marine Sergeant Alexander Blackman are set to hand in an appeal to the Criminal Cases Review Commission.

The supporters including the former sergeant’s wife Claire, will hand the appeal case in to the CCRC in Birmingham on Wednesday.

Former Sergeant Blackman, 41, was convicted of murder and received a life sentence two years ago for killing a mortally wounded insurgent in Afghanistan in September 2011.

He became the first British serviceman to be tried for murder by court martial since the Second World War.

Supporters, who say Blackman believed the insurgent was already dead, are demanding an immediate retrial.

The married marine unsuccessfully challenged the verdict in the Court Martial Appeal Court, however his minimum sentence was reduced to eight years.

Mr Drax a former British Army officer in the Coldstream Guards, has been an vocal supporter of Blackman since visiting the former sergeant in Lincoln prison in December last year.

He said: “On Wednesday the submission of the appeal will be the culmination of a huge amount of good will and money from the public and professional legal expertise from Jonathan Goldberg, Mr Blackman’s QC, and supporters, not least of course, Claire, Mr Blackman’s wife who has been an absolute brick for a long time now- constantly supporting him and visiting him every week.”

He added: “There’s not even a sniff of anger or bitterness from either of them. All they want to do, and all we want to do, is to get behind Mr Blackman and get this chance to get his case back into court.”

Mr Drax said that if the CCRC turned down the appeal then it would be “the end of the line.”

But he said: “But we hope beyond hope that the CCRC will grant it. If they do, Mr Goldberg can go for bail on Mr Blackman’s behalf.”

Then the case would be prepared before going back to court.

Mr Drax said the CCRC could take a month or longer to make the decision.