Australia’s most decorated Afghanistan war veteran Ben Roberts-Smith told a former SAS soldier that when he “blew the brains out” of a young Afghan man it was “the most beautiful thing [he’d] ever seen”, a court has heard.
A SAS sergeant testifying for Fairfax Media in the Ben Roberts-Smith’s defamation trial has admitted he told an investigative reporter the decorated veteran machine-gunned a disabled man during the war in Afghanistan, but insisted everything he said was true.
It was common knowledge that SAS soldiers sought the retraction of a “bulls–t” commendation awarded to war veteran Ben Roberts-Smith for acts of bravery in Afghanistan in 2012, a trial in a defamation case against Fairfax has heard.
Fairfax has accused senior counsel representing Ben Roberts-Smith of using cross-examination to try to identify the source of allegedly defamatory articles that accused the former SAS soldier of war crimes.
Eight rounds of ammunition were unloaded into the chest, neck and face of an Afghan man after decorated war veteran Ben Roberts-Smith told a subordinate to, “Shoot him or I will”, a court has heard.
A serving SAS soldier has reiterated his testimony that Ben Roberts-Smith was involved in the killing of two Afghan detainees, telling a judge he was afraid that ‘dobbing in’ the decorated war veteran would lead to his demotion.
Australia’s most decorated Afghanistan war veteran, Ben Roberts-Smith, ordered the shooting of an Afghani man during an Easter Sunday patrol, a court has heard.
Trial plans in accused war criminal Ben Roberts-Smith’s defamation case against Nine have hit another roadblock because of COVID-19 restrictions, less than two weeks before the hearing is set to resume, with the media giant now suggesting a move to Western Australia.
A bid by Google for a confidentiality undertaking by former NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro over evidence produced in the politician’s defamation case has earned a sharp rebuke by a judge.
YouTube comedian Jordan Shanks has apologised to former NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro for hurt caused by videos posted in 2020 and 2021 but won’t be paying any damages as part of a settlement of a high profile defamation case.