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.
Mr Roberts-Smith was not charged over any of the alleged conduct and no findings have been made against him in a criminal court.
For more on this story visit: https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/justice-anthony-besanko-dismisses-ben-roberts-smiths-defamation-case-against-newspapers/pvss4itlu
Members of the Australian Defence Force can access the Defence All-hours Support Line on 1800 628 036. Open Arms provides free and confidential counselling and support for current and former serving ADF members and their families on 1800 011 046. Readers can also contact Lifeline crisis support on 13 11 14.
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