Judge rules elite Australian soldier killed Afghans as suit fails
Al JazeeraAPR 2023
Roberts-Smith brought this defamation suit to try to vindicate his reputation, with his lawyers arguing that he was easily identifiable even though the 2018 reports did not name him. However, this move has backfired now that the newspapers have been found to have told the truth. The judge has ruled loud and clear that the Victoria Cross recipient is a war criminal and murderer.
This is certainly a victory for the newspapers but the legal battle is far from over. Roberts-Smith's legal team is now assessing the lengthy judgment in order to pursue a potential appeal of the decision, which would go to the full Federal Court first and to the full bench of the Federal Court next.