Waterboarding was used during The Troubles, a UK court has ruled.

The High Court in Belfast awarded damages to the family of Liam Holden on Friday, ruling that the man falsely convicted of killing a British paratrooper during The Troubles was waterboarded into making a false confession while in military custody. The judge said the soldiers "unquestionably acted in bad faith" and ordered the Ministry of Defence to pay Holden's family £350,000 (about $427,700) in damages. Holden's family and their attorney said it was the first time a court had confirmed that waterboarding was used during the decades-long sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland. Holden himself passed away in September last year, at the age of 68. Holden was detained in 1973 by British soldiers in Northern Ireland during The Troubles and was sentenced to death by hanging.

His sentence was commuted to life imprisonment and he spent 17 years behind bars before getting released on parole. His conviction was eventually quashed in 2012 and he was awarded £1 million for damages due to the miscarriage of justice. He revealed the details of his torture, saying the soldiers had pinned him to the floor and poured a bucket of water slowly through the towel. He made something up and was threatened to execute him unless he confessed. Waterboarding was banned by executive order in 2009.