SAS sniper will appeal sentence

Off By Sharon Black

Danny Nightingale, found guilty of illegally possessing a gun and ammunition, is to challenge his recent conviction

The former SAS sniper Danny Nightingale is to appeal against his conviction for illegally possessing a gun and ammunition.

Nightingale was found guilty of the offences at a court martial last month and was sentenced to two years’ military detention suspended for 12 months. He was told he only escaped custody because of his exceptional character.

But Nightingale’s legal team has lodged an appeal. It will argue that a medic called by the prosecution to give evidence about the soldier’s mental state stepped outside his areas of expertise. It will also claim the panel that heard the case was not given proper directions with regard to a confession Nightingale made and over how it should have treated the testimony of his former housemate, who has served a custodial sentence for possessing a gun.

Nightingale was originally sentenced to 18 months in detention last year but freed after a high-profile campaign. His conviction was quashed because of the way the initial hearing was handled and a retrial ordered.

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