FIVE Royal Marines charged with murder in Afghanistan have appeared before a military court in Colchester.
The commandos appeared at Colchester Military Court Centre with their legal representatives behind closed doors, and were released from custody following the hearing.
Known only as Marines A, B, C, D and E, the men were in the court room for over an hour.
All the men were charged with murder following the discovery of footage on a computer belonging to one of them who was arrested for a different, non-military matter.
Judge Advocate General Jeff Blackett ruled an interim anonymity order and reporting restrictions preventing the naming of the five were to be extended until November 5, when the men are expected to enter pleas at another hearing.
Seven commandos were initially arrested on Thursday, October 11, followed by a further two marines; four of whom were later released without charge.
It is alleged the men committed a murder of an unknown Afghan national contrary to Section 42 of the Armed Forces Act (2006).
Plymouth Herald defence reporter Rebecca Ricks in Colchester<:/b>
ARRIVING at Merville Barracks in Colchester, also home to the Parachute Regiment, everyone is required to gain photographic passes to enter the court.
It is not dissimilar to most other military barracks.
Signing into the visitor centre, photographs are taken and a bright red pass featuring my picture gets me through the front gate past the armed guards.
A sign makes the security set-up clear – "100 percent ID checks".
The garrison is much bigger than any I have been to before.
It looks new and vast, with plenty of open space.
The Paras continue with their daily routines in the background.
It's like the court is just another function of this bustling military base.
The court is situated in a new-build block towards the back of the camp.
The room itself is modern and has a bright classroom feel to it, unlike the dark rooms you would find in Plymouth Crown Court.
The custody centre is a 100-metre march to the courts, not a few cells underneath the main part of the building like at a magistrates' court.
The arrangement is similar to most courtrooms, with a bench at the front for the judge and a dock for defendants.
The difference lies with a jury. In Courts Martial hearings a jury panel, called the board, sit on the top bench around the Judge Advocate.
The jury are not members of the public but instead senior-ranking officers from all three services who will be instructed once a case comes to trial.
An area to the right of the judge has been set aside for the press; it is clear this case has significant media interest.
Three television crews, press agencies, reporters from national newspapers and myself take notes at the fastest pace.
To our left, around 15 military officers from the different services sit.
In the middle, in front of the judge, are five barristers – as in criminal courts.
The judge and barristers dress, as expected, in gowns and wigs.
Before being allowed into the courtroom we had been kept waiting in a smaller court downstairs whilst the hearing took place in camera – behind closed doors.
It did not have that court feel to it. No security guards, no airport-style scanners and a much smaller waiting area.
I imagine a lot of this is because of the age of the facility. It looks virtually new.
One thing did feel similar to high-profile civilian cases; the five defendants were taken out of the back door afterwards and into a blacked-out vehicle.
