<div style="text-align: justify; "><b style="font-size: 1rem;">A judgement in a landmark defamation trial says Australia's most-decorated living soldier lied to cover up his misconduct and threatened witnesses.</b><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It also found Ben Roberts-Smith "complicit in and responsible for" the murder of four Afghans.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Last week, he lost a defamation suit against three Australian newspapers over war crimes allegations.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It has raised the spectre of a possible wider reckoning over claims of war crimes by Australian forces.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On Thursday, Federal Court Judge Anthony Besanko threw out the former special forces corporal's case against The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, and The Canberra Times.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Mr Roberts-Smith claimed the papers ruined his life with their reports that he had broken the moral and legal rules of war.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The judge delayed releasing the reasons for his judgement until Monday, to allow Australian authorities time to ensure it did not inadvertently divulge national security secrets.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But Judge Besanko found the claims that Mr Roberts-Smith had murdered unarmed prisoners and civilians while serving in Afghanistan were "substantially true".</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Saying that the 44-year-old was "not an honest and reliable witness", he added: "I have difficulty accepting the applicant's evidence on any disputed issue".</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He further found that the Victoria Cross recipient invoked a special forces code of silence to intimidate witnesses, and also smeared and threatened others.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Mr Roberts-Smith had used a private investigator to mail threats to those considering testifying against him, something Judge Besanko said may constitute a criminal offence - either perverting the course of justice or using a postal service to menace, harass or cause offence.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">More articles from the reporters at the centre of the trial, published in the days following the judgement, also allege further intimidating behaviour.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Mr Roberts-Smith went to the extent of sending a legal threat to Gina Rinehart, Australia's richest woman, warning that an ex-soldier - Ms Rinehart's relative - would be sued for speaking ill of him, Nine Newspapers reported.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He also used his private detective to investigate another former soldier and his family, and was captured on tape lambasting soldiers who break the code of silence.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"A few people [in the special forces] had done what we don't do, and that's talk out of school," he said, according to the report.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Mr Roberts-Smith has not commented since the ruling, but he is expected to appeal to the full bench of the federal court.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The 110-day defamation trial cost up to an estimated A$25m ($16.3m, £13.2m).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Mr Roberts-Smith had been considered a national hero for having single-handedly overpowered Taliban machine-gunners who were attacking his Special Air Service (SAS) platoon, earning him Australia's highest military honour.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He was appointed to high-profile executive positions and received a string of accolades, even being crowned Father of the Year in 2013.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But while he has not been charged with any offences, the father of two is currently the subject of an Australia Federal Police inquiry into alleged war crimes.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In 2020, a landmark investigation known as the Brereton Report found "credible evidence" that elite Australian soldiers unlawfully killed 39 people in Afghanistan.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It recommended that 19 current or former soldiers should be investigated over alleged killings of prisoners and civilians from 2009-13. BBC</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>