Ben Roberts-Smith to take to the witness stand today after testifying that he never killed prisoners during his deployments to Afghanistan
- Ben Roberts-Smith to take witness stand again Tuesday in defamation lawsuit
- Victoria Cross recipient will face court in Sydney and speak on alleged murders
- He claims he is victim of media bias and bitter soldiers character assassination
Ben Roberts-Smith is due to take the witness stand for a third day at his high-profile defamation lawsuit against media outlets over claims that he committed war crimes in Afghanistan.
Mr Roberts-Smith, 42, has brought the Federal Court action against the publishers of the Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Canberra Times over the articles from 2018.
The former SAS operator argues the articles depict him as a criminal who broke the moral and legal rules of military engagement.
He is also suing the respondents over claims he assaulted a woman in a Canberra hotel room.
Ben Roberts-Smith is due to take the witness stand for a third day at his high-profile defamation lawsuit against media outlets over claims that he committed war crimes
The former SAS operator argues the articles depict him as a criminal who broke the moral and legal rules of military engagement
Mr Roberts-Smith is expected on Tuesday to resume his evidence in chief at the Sydney trial after previously testifying that he never killed prisoners during his deployments to Afghanistan.
In his evidence he has denied claims that he kicked an Afghan prisoner off a cliff, killed an Afghan prisoner with a prosthetic leg, or murdered an adolescent Afghan.
He has also rejected claims of bullying and has testified that he never drank from the prosthetic leg of a killed insurgent at an SAS pub in Afghanistan called the 'Fat Ladies Arms'.
Mr Roberts-Smith's lawyers have argued that their client was the victim of a lying campaign by failed soldiers and 'bitter people' jealous of the applicant's military success and Victoria Cross.
Mr Roberts-Smith is expected to resume his evidence in chief at the Sydney trial after previously testifying that he never killed prisoners during his deployments to Afghanistan
The trial has heard that he was 'devastated' by the outlets' claims and lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in income after his reputation was damaged by them.
He denies all the claims against him, while the publishers have put forward a truth defence.
The trial is set to hear testimonial evidence from 21 current and former SAS members and several Afghan villagers.
Most watched News videos
- Terrifying moment driver overtakes van and narrowly avoids crash
- Sally Nugent hilariously finds out 'hedgehog' is a hat bobble
- Starmer and Rayner embrace as they launch election campaign
- Three men seen running out of Beckenham station after knife attack
- 'Satan took over me': Hamas terrorist confesses of raping woman
- Heartless criminals steal van terminally ill boy uses
- Camilla hands out gifts at Royal Maundy ceremony on behalf of King
- Tourist is filmed napping in his tent on the beach with a crocodile
- Hilarious moment King's Guard shout 'make way' at pigeons in London
- Police carry slingshots to defend themselves against crazed monkeys
- Russian plane spiralling out of control crashes in sea in Crimea
- Queen Camilla greets children after traditional Maundy service