A former British soldier has been convicted of the manslaughter of a Catholic man in Northern Ireland in 1988, local media reported on Friday.

David Holden, 53, became the first veteran to be convicted of a historical offense since the 1998 Good Friday Agreement which ended decades of conflict, according to Sky News.


Aidan McAnespie, 23, was shot dead in Aughnacloy, County Tyrone after passing through a border security checkpoint.

The report said that McAnespie had been on his way to a Gaelic football match when he was shot in the back.

Admitting that he fired the shot, Holden, who was 18 at the time and serving with the Grenadier Guards, said that he had discharged the weapon by accident.

Although Holden denied the charge of manslaughter during the trial, he was found guilty by the judge.


So far, six former soldiers have been charged with historical offenses in Northern Ireland, the report said, but cases against four collapsed and one died while on trial.