Ben Roberts-Smith, Revealed Ben Roberts-Smith Truth On Trial, Stan
Share this @internewscast.com

Decorated war veteran Ben Roberts-Smith has failed to overturn findings that he likely engaged in war crimes while on deployment in Afghanistan.

The recipient of the Victoria Cross filed a defamation lawsuit against Nine newspapers and journalists Nick McKenzie and Chris Masters following their 2018 reports alleging that he had engaged in war crimes.

However, in 2023, Justice Anthony Besanko determined that the allegations, which accused Roberts-Smith of being accountable for the deaths of four unarmed civilians while stationed in Afghanistan, were largely accurate.

Ben Roberts-Smith, Revealed Ben Roberts-Smith Truth On Trial, Stan
Roberts-Smith launched an appeal against findings, which was heard in the Federal Court over 10 days in February 2024. (Stan)

Roberts-Smith launched an appeal against findings, which was heard in the Federal Court over 10 days in February 2024.

After a year of waiting, the Full Court of the Federal Court dismissed his appeal on Friday.

The court agreed that Nine’s defense was well-supported by evidence and maintained Justice Besanko’s conclusion that the claims of war crimes were largely accurate.

The decision clears the path for Roberts-Smith to pay out tens of millions of dollars, after the cost of the defamation proceedings was tipped to exceed $25 million back in 2023.

Taking into account the subsequent appeal and interlocutory issues, the final bill could now be far higher.

Roberts-Smith may elect to continue the seven-year legal saga to the High Court in a last-ditch attempt to clear his name.

The original decision found Roberts-Smith was complicit in the murder of four unarmed men while serving in Afghanistan.

Ben Roberts-Smith was found to have been engaged in or was complicit in four unlawful killings of prisoners while he was deployed in Afghanistan.
The original decision found Roberts-Smith was complicit in the murder of four unarmed men while serving in Afghanistan. (9News)

The soldier first rose to prominence in 2011 after he was awarded Australia’s highest military honour, the Victoria Cross, for single-handedly taking out machine-gun posts to protect pinned-down colleagues in Afghanistan.

Later named Australian father of the year, his reputation was tarnished by McKenzie’s explosive reports in 2018 alleging the former SAS corporal was complicit in war crimes.

The reports claimed Roberts-Smith machine-gunned a man with a prosthetic leg – which he then encouraged soldiers to use as a drinking vessel.

On the same day in 2009, Roberts-Smith was alleged to have ordered the execution of an elderly prisoner to “blood the rookie” during a raid on a compound known as Whiskey 108.

The former special forces soldier was accused of kicking a handcuffed prisoner off a cliff in the village of Darwan before dragging him to a creek and ordering his execution on September 11, 2012.

Nine’s coverage claimed Roberts-Smith ordered another prisoner be shot and killed after a weapons cache was discovered in the village of Cinartu.

Justice Besanko’s findings – upheld on Friday – were made on the balance of probabilities.

Roberts-Smith has not been charged over the allegations.

Nine is also the publisher of this website. 

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
'Money mules' loaning bank accounts to help crooks launder millions

Why Many Australians Are Losing Out on Thousands of Dollars Annually

Millions of Australians are clueless when it comes to crucial information about…

Fifteen Individuals, Including an Infant, Die from Starvation in Gaza on a Single Day

A six-week-old baby boy is among the 15 individuals reported to have…

Obama Responds to Trump’s ‘Treason’ Claim

“The document released last week does not contradict the widely accepted finding…
Authorities in Bibb County uncovered a child sex ring involving at least six children, with the youngest victim only three years old, in an underground storm shelter near a home in Brent.

Terrifying Discovery Inside Subterranean Storm Shelter

Authorities in Georgia have uncovered a child sex trafficking ring that involved…
Remembering Virginia Giuffre: The woman who helped bring down Jeffery Epstein

US Justice Department Plans to Contact Imprisoned Epstein Associate

The US Department of Justice has communicated with Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein’s…

Is it better to rest with a mild cold or work remotely? What if both options aren’t possible?

Whether you’re experiencing your first cold of the season or your fourth,…
The growing health concern that could cost Australia billions

Australia Faces a Rising Health Crisis with Potential Multibillion-Dollar Impact

One of Australia’s leading experts on brain health has urged the federal…

US Olympic Committee Prohibits Trans Women from Competing Following Trump Executive Order

American transgender women will no longer be able to compete in women’s…
Pimpama missing children

Latest Photos Released of Missing Gold Coast Children, Including Baby Girl

New images have been released as police search for three children who…
Donald Trump and his kids, Eric and Ivanka Trump, are seen with Jeffrey Epstein.

Recently found photos and videos provide new insights into Trump’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.

Photos from 1993 have surfaced for the first time, confirming that Epstein…
Rod Stewart made no exception on Monday when he stepped out in New York City with his leggy wife Penny Lancaster

Rod Stewart, 80, sports a unique satin blazer while out in New York City with his stylish wife, Penny Lancaster, 54

He’s well known for his flamboyant sense of style.  And Rod Stewart…
9News can reveal the white Jeep Cherokee was driven to several service stations in Melbourne's south-east on Saturday, where a group of masked thieves allegedly carried out armed robberies.

Authorities Believe AFL Star’s Vehicle Involved in Another Violent Crime Wave

Exclusive: A car belonging to troubled Western Bulldogs star Jamarra Ugle-Hagan has…