PARATROOPERS have been accused of using waterboarding torture techniques to force a west Belfast man to confess to the killing of a British soldier 50 years ago.

The High Court in Belfast heard that Liam Holden was hooded and had a gun held to his head by British squaddies before wrongly admitting that he shot British soldier Frank Bell in 1972.

Mr Holden was the last person in Northern Ireland to be sentenced to hang after being found guilty of Mr Bell’s murder.

This sentence was commuted to life imprisonment, however the conviction was overturned in 2012 following a 40-year fight to clear his name.

He is now seeking damages from the Ministry of Defence for alleged misfeasance in public office, assault, battery and torture.

Mr Holden has already received £1 million in compensation due to the miscarriage of justice.

“They took me to Glencairn, a notorious spot for Catholics being found shot dead,” he told the court on Tuesday.

“They took me out of the car and brought me into a field, put a gun to my head and said if I didn’t admit to shooting the soldier they would shoot me,” he said, adding that he admitted to the killing under duress.

The MoD denies liability. The hearing continues.