Australia's most decorated living soldier Ben Roberts-Smith has lost what has been termed the ‘trial of the century’ and a 'proxy war crimes trial' after he sued three newspapers for defamation over a series of articles published in 2018. Read more:
Ben Roberts-Smith sued three newspapers over articles he said defamed him in suggesting he committed war crimes in Afghanistan between 2009 and 2012.Decorated former Australian Army soldier Ben Roberts-Smith has lost his landmark defamation case against three newspapers and three journalists in the Federal Court of Australia.
Justice Anthony Besanko handed down the verdict on Thursday afternoon, in which he ruled that three newspapers - the Sydney Morning Herald, the Age and the Canberra Times – and journalists Nick McKenzie, Chris Masters and David Rowe had not defamed Mr Roberts-Smith in a series of articles published in 2018.
Justice Besanko read out a summary of each of the defamatory imputations alleged by Mr Roberts-Smith, and the defences which relied on the truth of the allegations which were mounted by the defendants. He found that the defendants had proved that some of the most serious allegations of war crimes were true.
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