大象传媒

A man from Belfast who was sentenced to death and served 17 years in prison has had his conviction for murdering a soldier quashed. Yesterday, judges overturned a verdict that Liam Holden was guilty of killing a British soldier 40 years ago because he was interrogated by the military for more than three hours. In doing this the military was in breach of clear government guidelines that suspects arrested by soldiers should be handed over immediately to the Royal Ulster Constabulary for questioning. Mr Holden alleges that while he was held by the military he was subjected to water torture, beaten and threatened with death in order to force a confession from him. He was due to hang for the shooting of paratrooper Private Frank Bell in west Belfast in September 1972, but later had his death sentence commuted to life imprisonment.