Ben Roberts-Smith, an Australian soldier who received numerous decorations, has been convicted of war crimes by the court. Despite this, he has defended the atrocities he committed during his service in Afghanistan and maintained his innocence.
In his first public statement since the landmark ruling that found him guilty of murdering Afghan civilians, Roberts-Smith, a former SAS corporal, expressed his intention to consider appealing the judgment. He made these remarks upon his return to Perth, stating that he was devastated by the outcome and believed it to be incorrect.
Additionally, Roberts-Smith made it clear that he would not apologize to those affected by his alleged crimes, asserting that he and his fellow soldiers had not done anything wrong.
The defamation case he filed against three newspapers, namely The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, and The Canberra Times, was also unsuccessful. These publications had reported on allegations that he had killed unarmed prisoners and civilians during his service in Afghanistan between 2009 and 2012. Federal Court Judge Anthony Besanko ruled that these allegations were “substantially true.”
It is worth noting that Roberts-Smith has not faced criminal charges as of yet. The recent ruling was made in a civil court, and a higher burden of proof would be required in a criminal court.
Furthermore, the evidence presented in the civil defamation case cannot be used in any potential criminal proceedings. Investigators would need to gather their own independent evidence. The Office of the Special Investigator (OSI) and the Australian Federal Police (AFP) are reported to be examining three alleged murders involving Roberts-Smith, as reported by local media. These killings are said to have occurred at a compound known as Whiskey 108 and in the Afghan village of Darwan.
Ben Roberts-Smith, born in Perth in 1978, joined the Australian army at the age of 18 and became a member of the elite Special Air Service Regiment (SASR) in 2003. He served multiple deployments in Afghanistan between 2006 and 2012 and was awarded the Victoria Cross, Australia’s highest military honor, for his bravery in 2010 during a mission to locate a senior Taliban commander. Roberts-Smith, who is divorced with twin teenage daughters, left the military a decade ago and pursued a business degree before joining the Seven Network media group and becoming a motivational speaker.
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