Ben Roberts-Smith threatened witnesses in defamation trial, judge says

A judgement in a landmark defamation trial says Australia’s most-decorated living soldier lied to cover up his misconduct and threatened witnesses.

It also found Ben Roberts-Smith “complicit in and responsible for” the murder of four Afghans.

Last week, he lost a defamation suit against three Australian newspapers over war crimes allegations.

It has raised the spectre of a possible wider reckoning over claims of war crimes by Australian forces.