SAS sniper's guilty plea quashed

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LONDON, March 14 (UPI) -- A British appeals court Wednesday quashed the guilty plea of an Army sergeant who brought a Glock 9 mm home from Iraq.

Sgt. Danny Nightingale, who had been a sniper in the Special Air Service, could face a second trial, The Daily Telegraph reported.

"We will attack it with the same vigorous tenacity that we have done with this," he said after the hearing.

The court found a military judge might have pressured Nightingale into his guilty plea by advising him he could be sentenced to as long as five years if he stood trial. Nightingale received an 18-month sentence, which was reduced on appeal to 12 months and suspended.

The Glock had been given to Nightingale by Iraqi soldiers he trained. He said he had forgotten he had the weapon.

Nightingale said he is frustrated by being unable to serve in the Army until the criminal case is resolved. His wife, Sally, who led a campaign to free him, said she had "mixed emotions" because he still faces a retrial.

"But tonight we'll celebrate the fact that Danny is not convicted of a crime anymore," she said.