Dublin [Ireland], February 3: A former British soldier has been given a suspended sentence for killing a man at an army checkpoint in Northern Ireland more than 30 years ago.
David Jonathan Holden, 53, was sentenced to three years at Belfast Crown Court, but judge Justice O'Hara suspended the term for three years.
Holden was convicted last year at Belfast Crown Court of the manslaughter of Aidan McAnespie in February 1988, the first veteran to be convicted of a historical offence in Northern Ireland since the peace agreement.
McAnespie, 23, was killed in Aughnacloy, Co Tyrone, moments after walking through a border security checkpoint.
He was on his way to a Gaelic Athletic Association club when he was shot in the back.
The McAnespie family said they were disappointed at the sentence, but stressed they did not want a "pound of flesh." Holden had admitted firing the shot which killed McAnespie, but had said he had fired the weapon by accident because his hands were wet.
But Justice O'Hara said last year he was satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that Holden was guilty of manslaughter by gross negligence.
In court on Thursday, the judge highlighted five points about the case - Holden was 18 when the killing occurred, he had been convicted of manslaughter and did not intend to kill, he was grossly negligent in wrongly assuming the gun was not cocked, the fact that the gun was cocked and ready to fire was the fault of others and he could not know from looking at the gun if it was cocked.
Justice O'Hara said: "In his evidence during the trial, the defendant did not take the opportunity to express remorse. He could have done so, even in the context contesting the case.
"That would have been helpful." The judge added: "The defendant gave a dishonest explanation to the police and then to the court, to some limited degree that is an aggravating feature." The judge drew attention to victim impact statements given by McAnespie's family to the court.
He said: "Aidan was the youngest of the six McAnespie children.
"The statements described the devastating impact the killings had on the whole extended family, how it changed their lives and how hugely challenging it has been over decades.
"I have no doubt this was made worse by the family's sense of injustice that Mr Holden was not brought to trial at the time."
Source: Qatar Tribune
