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The sentencing of Capt. Robert Semrau, a Canadian soldier found guilty of disgraceful conduct in the death of a wounded insurgent in Afghanistan, has been postponed until Sept. 21.
Capt. Robert Semrau is now scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 21 for disgraceful conduct in the death of a wounded insurgent in Afghanistan's Helmand province in 2008. (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)Military Judge Lt.-Col. Jean-Guy Perron has informed the parties involved that he couldn't reconvene the court martial on Sept. 9 as scheduled because of medical reasons, a Canadian Forces spokesman said Tuesday.
Semrau, 36, was accused of firing two rounds from his rifle at a dying Taliban fighter in Helmand province of Afghanistan in October 2008.
In July, he was acquitted of three more serious charges, including second-degree murder, attempting to commit murder with a firearm and negligent performance of a military duty.
The trial heard evidence that Semrau told fellow officers after the shooting that he simply wanted to put a wounded and dying enemy fighter out of his misery.
Semrau never testified, but an Afghan army captain who was on the patrol with Semrau testified the Taliban fighter was "98 per cent dead" when he was found.
Now based at CFB Petawawa, Semrau, a married father of two young children, grew up in Moose Jaw, Sask.
The charge of behaving in a disgraceful manner carries a penalty of up to five years in prison.
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Orders of the Day - Whither the F-35 inquiry at Public Accounts? by Kady O'Malley May. 31, 2012 9:11 AM Public Accounts committee meets behind closed doors to debate fate of procurement investigation
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