Marines plead not guilty to Afghan death 08.03.13
5Three Royal Marines have entered not guilty pleas to charges of murder today in connection with the killing of a captured Afghan national.
The hearing took place in the Military Court Centre in Bulford, Wiltshire.
Two further marines have already been told the murder charges against them have been dropped .
The alleged incident involving an unnamed Afghan is believed to have happened on or around 15th September 2011 while the servicemen were on active duty in Afghanistan.
The Service Prosecuting Authority said the decision to drop the charges against the two named only as marines D and E was made as part of their "duty to conduct a continual review" of the evidence.
"Proceedings are maintained against the other three marines (A, B and C) on the charge of murder of an unknown captured person," it said in a statement released last month.
An anonymity order, granted last year to protect the identities of the five by Judge Advocate General Jeff Blackett remains "in full force in respect of all five" marines until further notice.
Making the ruling last November, the judge said the defendants would be at "real and immediate risk" from "organised terrorist activity and 'lone wolves'", if their names were made public.
The marines were arrested by the Royal Military Police in October last year, after suspicious video footage was found on a serviceman's laptop by civilian police in the UK.
The trial is due to take place at Bulford on 21st October.