Australia’s most decorated living war veteran unlawfully killed prisoners and committed other war crimes in Afghanistan, judge rules.
Australian journalists Nick McKenzie, left, and Chris Masters, right, walk with their legal team from the Federal Court in Sydney, Australia, Thursday, June 1, 2023. Australia’s most decorated living war veteran unlawfully killed prisoners and committed other war crimes in Afghanistan, a judge ruled Thursday in dismissing the claims by Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith that he was defamed by media.
The man was one of two unarmed Afghans that Roberts-Smith's patrol had dragged from a tunnel. Roberts-Smith pressured a “newly deployed and inexperienced” soldier to kill the second, older man to “blood the rookie,” the court found. Reports of domestic violence allegedly committed by Roberts-Smith were also found to be unproven and defamatory. But the judge found the unproven allegations would not have further damaged the veteran’s reputation.
Nick McKenzie, one of the reporters responsible for the contentious articles, praised the SAS veterans who had testified against the national hero. The case's legal costs have been underwritten by billionaire Kerry Stokes, executive chair of Seven West Media where Roberts-Smith is employed.
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