Australian soldier loses landmark defamation case

Australian soldier loses landmark defamation case
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Australia’s most-decorated living soldier Ben Roberts-Smith has lost a historic defamation case against three newspapers which accused him of war crimes in Afghanistan.

The Australian newspapers were sued over several articles which also said he had bullied peers and punched a woman with whom he was having an affair.

It is the first time in history a court has assessed allegations of war crimes by Australian forces.

The judge said the lengthy civil trial had proved the murder allegations – denied by Mr Roberts-Smith – were substantially true.

Mr Roberts-Smith has not been charged over any of the claims and no findings have been made against him in a criminal court. He was not in court for Thursday’s judgement.

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