Ben Roberts-Smith: the murders and war crimes at the heart of a seismic defamation battle

Judge found the newspapers had proven their defence of substantial truth on allegations of a murder and two executions

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In an extraordinary judgment, the federal court has found that Australia’s most decorated war hero, Ben Roberts-Smith, murdered unarmed civilians while serving in Afghanistan, and that reporting painting him as a bully was substantially proven.

The decision was the result of a landmark defamation case that Roberts-Smith brought against reporting by three newspapers – the Sydney Morning Herald, the Age and the Canberra Times – from 2018 that he claimed falsely portrayed him as a criminal who broke the legal rules of military engagement.

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Law (Australia) | The Guardian