A former British soldier who was found guilty of killing a man at an army checkpoint in Northern Ireland more than 30 years ago will later be sentenced.
In November, David Jonathan Holden (53) was convicted of the February 1988 manslaughter of Aidan McAnespie.
He was the first veteran to be found guilty of a historic offense in Northern Ireland since the Good Friday Agreement.
Former Grenadier Guardsman Holden, who was released on bail pending sentencing, will return to Belfast Crown Court on Friday.
Regardless of what sentence is handed down, the veteran will serve up to two years in prison under the controversial early release provisions of the 1998 Good Friday peace agreement.
Mr McAnespie (23) was killed in Aughnacloy, Co Tyrone shortly after walking through a border checkpoint.
He was on his way to a local GAA club when he was shot in the back.
Holden had admitted to firing the shot that killed Mr McAnespie, but had said he accidentally discharged the gun because his hands were wet.
But Judge O’Hara said he was convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that Holden was guilty of manslaughter by gross negligence.
He found that Holden had pointed a machine gun at McAnespie and pulled the trigger, thinking the gun was not cocked.
The judge ruled in the no-jury trial, saying, “That assumption should not have been made.”
He also said the former soldier gave a “deliberately false account” of what happened.
The judge said: “The question for me is this: how guilty is the defendant in the circumstances of this case?
“In my opinion he is criminally guilty beyond reasonable doubt.”
The sentencing hearing comes amid ongoing controversy over government plans to deal with Northern Ireland’s troubled past.
The Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill proposals provide an effective amnesty for those suspected of killings during the conflict, if they agree to cooperate with a new body known as the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Reconciliation Information Recovery (Icrir).
The bill would also ban future civil cases and judicial investigations related to Troubles crimes.