David Holden, 51, will stand trial over the killing of Aidan McAnespie in County Tyrone in 1988 after a judge ruled there are sufficient grounds for the case to proceed.

Mr McAnespie, 23, was shot dead at a checkpoint near Aughnacloy. He was walking to a Gaelic football match and posed no threat to soldiers on duty.

Mr Holden, who was 18 at the time, said his hand was wet and that his finger slipped on the trigger, firing off three bullets. One hit Mr McAnespie in the back after it ricocheted off the road.

His lawyers had argued there was insufficient evidence but prosecutors said his explanation for firing was “implausible”.

The judge stated: “Different views have been taken in the past as to whether the evidence is sufficient to warrant a charge of manslaughter being brought, but in my judgement it is.”