Ben Roberts-Smith defamation trial: witness expected to deny wrongdoing in killing of Afghan villager

Person 11 to give evidence on allegation by newspapers that Roberts-Smith kicked handcuffed man off cliff before ordering him shot

Follow our Australia news live blog for the latest updatesGet our free news app; get our morning email briefing

An Australian soldier alleged by three newspapers to have participated with Ben Roberts-Smith in the “joint criminal enterprise” of murdering an Afghan villager named Ali Jan is set to appear in the federal court this week as a witness for Roberts-Smith in his defamation action against the newspapers.

Anonymised before the court as Person 11, the SAS’s soldier evidence will be critical to Roberts-Smith’s case over the events in the village of Darwan on 11 September 2012, when Roberts-Smith is alleged, by the newspapers in their defence, to have kicked a handcuffed Ali Jan off a cliff before ordering him shot.

Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning

Continue reading…

Read More

Law (Australia) | The Guardian