Today’s defence related coverage includes news on Alexander Blackman and Martin Shannon’s legal cases.
Sergeant Alexander Blackman
There is widespread coverage across print media this morning that the Royal Marine serving life for the murder of an injured Afghan fighter was refused bail, pending his challenge against conviction.
An MOD spokesperson said:
We will continue to co-operate fully with any legal process involving Sergeant Blackman’s case.
Martin Shannon
The Daily Mirror, Telegraph and the Sun include short pieces reporting that Royal Marine reservist Martin Shannon has been jailed for 14 and a half years after being found guilty of an undercover operation trying to sell arms.
Missing laptops
Following an FOI release, it is reported in the Guardian, the Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail that at least 1,000 government laptops, computers and data sticks have been reported lost or stolen since the general election.
A MOD spokesperson said:
The MOD treats information security as a top priority. All incidents of equipment going missing or stolen are thoroughly investigated and may result in disciplinary action.
The MOD promotes a culture where security is the responsibility of all staff and personnel are required to report all security incidents. This can result in figures appearing higher than comparable organisations.
Picture of the day
