Ben Roberts-Smith

Benjamin Roberts-Smith (born 1 November 1978) is an Australian former soldier in the Special Air Service Regiment (SASR). He is one of Australia's most highly decorated soldiers, having received the Medal for Gallantry (2006), the Victoria Cross for Australia (2011)—the highest award for gallantry in battle that can be awarded to a member of the Australian Defence Force (ADF)—and a Commendation for Distinguished Service (2012). He was widely considered a national hero, but his reputation deteriorated following a 2023 Federal Court ruling in which a judge found that there was enough evidence, according to the standard required in Australian defamation law, to establish that he had murdered four unarmed Afghans and broken the rules of military engagement. After his discharge in 2013, Roberts-Smith was named Australian Father of the Year, was awarded a scholarship to study business at the University of Queensland and received many other honours. He was appointed by media mogul Kerry Stokes to top executive positions at Seven Queensland and ultimately Seven Brisbane, from which he stepped down in 2021 to focus on his defamation action against Nine Entertainment. In October 2017, Roberts-Smith's conduct in Afghanistan came under scrutiny after reports emerged that he had killed an unarmed teenager and bullied other soldiers. He commenced defamation proceedings in 2018; however, in June 2023, Justice Anthony Besanko dismissed the case, writing that he had "disgraced his country". In 2025, appeals to the Federal Court of Australia and the High Court of Australia were dismissed and refused in full. In April 2026, Roberts-Smith was arrested and charged with five counts of the war crime of murder. He was released on bail later that month.