An ex-British soldier, 53, who was found guilty of killing a man during the Troubles in Northern Ireland has avoided a jail sentence.
David Holden, who was convicted of the manslaughter of Aidan McAnespie in November last year, was instead given a three-year suspended sentence.
Holden, who was 18 at the time of the killing, was the first veteran to be convicted of a historical offence since the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, which saw the end of decades of conflict.Mr McAnespie, who was unnamed, was hit in the back by a bullet that ricocheted off the road on the way to Gaelic football match.
Holden, who was serving with the Grenadier Guards, admitted firing the shot which killed the 23-year-old, but said he fired the weapon by accident as his hands were wet.But the judge found that Holden had pointed a machine gun at Mr McAnespie and pulled the trigger, while assuming the gun was not cocked.He also said the ex-soldier had given a "deliberately false account" of what occurred.
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