Aidan’s father John McAnespie passed away suddenly at his home the 19th September 2022, at the age of 87. John campaigned for over thirty years and became the third member of the McAnespie family not to see truth and justice delivered for Aidan.
Sinn Fein deputy leader Michelle O’Neill described John as “a gentleman and a daddy that dedicated his life to campaigning for truth and justice” while Mark Thompson from ‘Relatives for Justice’ said that it was “deeply poignant that the McAnespies now face the outcome of a human rights process without John.”
John was buried alongside Aidan and his late-wife Lizzie in St Patrick’s Church, Clara, Co Monaghan. May he rest in peace.
Holden is Found Guilty of Killing Aidan
On Friday 25th November 2022, the McAnespie family travelled to Belfast Crown Court to hear Lord Justice John O’Hara’s judgement in Aidan’s case.
Just after 11am the judge began giving his verdict in a detailed report which took over 60 minutes to deliver to the packed courtroom.
In his summary of conclusions, Lord Justice O’Hara proved beyond a reasonable doubt that;
- The defendant assumed that the gun was not cocked.
- The defendant knew that Mr McAnespie was a person of interest.
- The defendant was tracking Mr McAnespie’s movements in the sense that he had been asked questions about where he was.
- The defendant aimed the weapon in Mr McAnespie’s direction.
- Mr McAnespie was moving – he was not stationary.
- Mr McAnespie was the only person on the road.
- The defendant had training and some experience in firing a GPMG.
- The defendant deliberately pulled the trigger. To his shock, rounds were discharged.
- The defendant knew that he hit Mr McAnespie because he could see him.
- The defendant told Peters “I squeezed the trigger” meaning that he had deliberately squeezed the trigger.
- Peters knew that Mr McAnespie had been shot.
- The defendant lied repeatedly to the police.
- The defendant’s hands were not wet in any way which contributed to the shooting.
Lord Justice O’Hara went onto question whether the defendant (Holden) negligently breached his duty of care. In his judgement, he ruled it was clear beyond doubt that he did. On his findings of fact, Holden aimed the weapon and pulled the trigger.
Lord Justice O’Hara went onto say that Holden had given a “deliberately false account” of what happened at the time.
His final statement read;
“In my judgement he is beyond any reasonable doubt criminally culpable. I emphasise, again, that the weapon he controlled was lethal in the extreme.
It is suggested on his behalf that it was not exceptionally bad or reprehensible for him to assume that the weapon was not cocked. I fundamentally disagree. In my judgement this was the ultimate “take no chances” situation because the risk of disaster was so great. The defendant should have appreciated at
the moment he pulled the trigger that if the gun was cocked deadly consequences might follow. That is not something which is only apparent with hindsight. The defendant took an enormous risk for no reason in circumstances where he was under no pressure and in no danger.
In light of the foregoing, I find the defendant guilty of the manslaughter of Aidan McAnespie by gross negligence.”
Holden was the first British army veteran to be convicted of a historical offence since the 1998 Good Friday agreement.
Lord Justice O’Hara said he would sentence Holden early in the new year.
