Ben Roberts-Smith arrested: former Australian soldier to be charged with five war crime murders in Afghanistan
Ben Roberts-Smith entitled to presumption of innocence but ‘none of us are above the law’, Andrew Hastie says
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Ben Roberts-Smith, Australia's most decorated living soldier, was arrested at Sydney airport and is expected to be charged with five counts of war crime – murder – allegedly committed in Afghanistan. The charges follow a lengthy investigation by the Australian Federal Police and the Office of the Special Investigator. Roberts-Smith previously lost a defamation suit against several newspapers that accused him of war crimes, with a judge finding it probable he committed four murders. He had sued the newspapers over allegations he murdered unarmed civilians and bullied comrades, claims he denies. The maximum penalty for the war crime offense is life imprisonment, and Roberts-Smith is due to face court.
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AI-ExtractedRoberts-Smith was awarded the Victoria Cross for “most conspicuous gallantry” during the battle of Tizak in 2010.
Roberts-Smith has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
A judge found to the civil standard of the “balance of probabilities” that he committed four murders.
Roberts-Smith was expected to be charged with “five counts of war crime – murder”.
Ben Roberts-Smith has been arrested at Sydney airport in relation to alleged war crimes.
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