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.
A judge who has been an enthusiastic lab rat in the virtual hearing experiment forced on the country’s courts by the COVID-19 pandemic has expressed doubts that he is accurately reading witnessses giving remote evidence.
Western Australia premier Mark McGowan has been ordered to appear in person in a Sydney court to give evidence at trial in a defamation case by mining billionaire Clive Palmer, but a judge has pushed back the hearing so McGowan can attend state parliament.
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.
Clive Palmer has won his bid to view text messages between Western Australian premier Mark McGowan and the state attorney-general discussing a bill to ban the billionaire mining magnate from suing the state for $30 billion.