Decorated Australian soldier loses war crimes defamation appeal

SYDNEY: One of Australia´s most decorated soldiers on Friday lost a legal bid to overturn bombshell court findings that implicated him in war crimes while serving in Afghanistan.

Former SAS commando Ben Roberts-Smith has been fighting to salvage his tattered reputation since 2018, when newspapers unearthed allegations he took part in the murder of unarmed Afghan prisoners.

His multi-million dollar bid to sue three Australian newspapers for defamation failed in 2023, with a judge ruling the bulk of the journalists´ claims were “substantially true”. The 46-year-old suffered another setback on Friday, when Australia´s Federal Court dismissed his appeal.