Waterboarding Torture-was it created by the Catholic Church?

The concept of waterboarding came to the fore several years ago with its use against terror suspects by America at Guantanamo Bay detention camp.

But while the term may have only come to public prominence in recent years, it is a dark practice that has been in use for hundreds of years.

In Northern Ireland the last man sentenced to death — Liam Holden (58) — alleged his confession of the 1972 IRA murder of a paratrooper was forced from him using the waterboarding technique. It’s the only alleged case of the method being used during the Troubles.

But it’s thought its use dates back as far as the 15th century and the Spanish Inquisition as a form of torture - similar to today’s definition - called toca...