Soldier’s account of fatal shot which killed Aidan McAnespie ‘not credible’

THE TRIAL has opened in Belfast of the soldier charged with the manslaughter of Aidan McAnespie who was shot dead while crossing the border at Aughnacloy on his way to a GAA match in 1988.

Fomer soldier, David Holden, who was 18 at the time, claims that the shot he fired was accidential. He is charged with manslaughter.

Prosecuting lawyer, Ciaran Murphy QC said that the defendant discharged three bullets from a machine gun pointing towards the Monaghan Road and that Mr McAnespie was hit from a distance of around 300 metres.

The court was told that the explanation from Holden at the time was that his finger had slipped and pulled the trigger, but that this was not accepted by the prosecution and was not credible.

Mr Murphy added that even if that version was accepted, the prosecution said that it was nevertheless a ‘grossly negligent act, and that they submitted that the defendant failed to give adequate to whether the gun was in a non-firing state when he pulled the trigger.

He said that nine pounds of pressure was put on the trigger when firing.

“While technically posisble, we say it was extremely unlikely it was a slip,” Mr Murphy added.

“The fact that two of the three shots fired landed to within yards of Mr McAnespie, someone whom the defendant accepted he was interested in and concerned he was a member of the IRA, supports we suggest the inference that the defendant was training his gun in the region of the  deceased at the time when he engaged the trigger.”

The court was told that at the time Aidan McAnespie was unarmed and did not present any threat.

Mr Murphy added that the issue at stake was a simple that no-one else is responsible for the shooting, the accused is charged with the unlawful killing and whether the discharge of the machine gun was ‘grossly negligent’.

The trial continues.