Former soldier to be sentenced for McAnespie killing

David Holden, 53, had been expected to be sentenced in Belfast Crown Court last Friday for shooting Aidan McAnespie in Aughnacloy on the Tyrone-Monaghan border in February 1988.

Former Grenadier Guardsman David Holden, who was 18 at the time, admitted firing the shot but claimed it was accidental and that his finger had slipped on to the trigger because his hands were wet. He said the former soldier had pointed a machine gun at Mr McAnespie from an observation sanger in the checkpoint and pulled the trigger, wrongly assuming the weapon was not cocked and ready for use.

He had complained of regular harassment at the checkpoint and often parked his car and walked through the checkpoint to the GAA grounds to avoid lengthy delays caused by searches of his vehicle. The case is taking place as the British government's controversial legacy plans continue to make their way through Westminster.

All soldiers trained in the use of firearms are first told safety is first and foremost, it is next to impossible to discharge a weapon unless you want to, that gobshites smiled as he got into his car, because he knew he got away with murder.

MariaLaoise It was never going to be any other way but he will die a convicted murderer. The pity is that his commanders who still appear on mainstream media, get away with it.

Shot him in the back while he was walking away, hopefully someone breaks him up soon 🤞

Why isnt gerry adams locked up

Should be spending the rest of his pitifully life behind bars, he's a killer and there's no justice served as per usual from the brits

Very weak sentence

Guilty of manslaughter 3 year suspended brit justice in Ireland,,,ffs it was Murder

3 yrs, suspended for 3 years. Do Irish people really expect justice from the British. 800 years, and they still devalue us.

🇬🇧🐀🇬🇧🐀🇬🇧🐀🇬🇧🐀🇬🇧🐀

2 years max. But I’ll doubt he’ll get anything

3 year suspended sentence, that's what they value our lives at

This was not manslaughter. This soldier deliberately murdered Aidan McAnespie on his way to the Gaelic ground.😡

Utterly disgraceful this has taken decades. Shame on you Westminster.

Murderer

Gallows

Hope he rots in prison for the rest of his insignificant life.

The old 'my finger slipped' routine . The only wet on his hands was Irish blood. What mitigating factors are there to take into account ?

The unionists wont like this

I do not believe that he fired accidentally. I remember initial media reports from British Army briefings on the day of the shooting. It was that Aidan McAnespie failed to stop at a checkpoint. No suggestion of fingers slipping on triggers. He is a murderer in my eyes.

If men and women can be sent to prison for crimes of terror against civilians then the same ought to be so for the military. This old soldier isn’t above the law.

Life. What's left of it.

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