Former decorated soldier Ben Roberts-Smith faces five murder charges over alleged unlawful killings of unarmed detainees in Afghanistan
SYDNEY: One of Australia’s most decorated soldiers has been charged with murdering unarmed prisoners captured in Afghanistan.
Police levelled the charges against former Special Air Service officer Ben Roberts-Smith following a sweeping war crimes probe.
Commissioner Krissy Barrett said the 47-year-old was allegedly complicit in a string of unlawful killings between 2009 and 2012. “It will be alleged the victims were detained, unarmed, and were under the control of ADF members when they were killed,” she said.
Court documents show Roberts-Smith was charged with five counts of “war crime – murder”. The charges include one actual offence, one joint commission to an offence, and three counts of aiding or abetting a murder.
Should he be found guilty, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. The towering soldier became a household name when awarded the Victoria Cross in 2011.
His reputation was called into question in 2018 when news reports linked him to alleged murders. Roberts-Smith has staunchly maintained his innocence throughout.
His efforts to sue newspapers for slander backfired, with a judge finding in 2023 many of the journalists’ claims were “substantially true”. Such civil trials carry a lower burden of proof than the criminal proceedings he now faces.
A landmark military report in 2020 revealed grave allegations against Australian troops. It found special forces personnel “unlawfully killed” 39 Afghan civilians and prisoners.
Investigations into the alleged crimes have been complicated by the Taliban’s return to power. Roberts-Smith is only the second soldier to be charged from the probe.
Australia deployed 39,000 troops to Afghanistan over two decades. Under growing pressure, the government appointed a special investigator to probe whether soldiers should face criminal charges.