Australian court docket rejects last bid to overturn defamation ruling

Australia’s high court docket has thrown out a last-ditch try by the nation’s most embellished soldier, Ben Roberts-Smith, to overturn a landmark defamation ruling.

Thursday’s ruling ends Mr Roberts-Smith’s lengthy authorized battle with newspapers he had sued over stories of significant misconduct whereas he was deployed to Afghanistan.

A decide in 2023 dominated that information articles alleging the Victoria Cross recipient had murdered 4 unarmed Afghans had been true, however he argued the decide made authorized errors.

It was the primary time in historical past any court docket assessed claims of battle crimes by Australian forces. Mr Roberts-Smith misplaced an attraction towards that judgement and was ordered to pay the newspapers’ authorized prices.

Mr Roberts-Smith, who left the defence pressure in 2013, has not been charged over any of the claims in a felony court docket the place there’s a larger burden of proof.

The 46-year-old argued the killings occurred legally throughout fight or didn’t occur in any respect. He claimed that his life had been ruined by the stories.

At the time the articles had been printed in 2018, Mr Roberts-Smith was thought of a nationwide hero, having been awarded the Victoria Cross – the best navy honour in Australia – for “the most conspicuous gallantry in action” throughout an operation to hunt for a senior Taliban commander.

His seven-year authorized battle, which some have dubbed Australia’s “trial of the century”, has reportedly racked up tens of thousands and thousands of {dollars} in prices – however in the end did not cease his fall from grace.

After the judgement towards Mr Roberts-Smith in 2023, the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, the place his uniform and a plaque commemorating his Victoria Cross medal are displayed, added textual content panel with context of his alleged misconduct and civil defamation case.

The museum confirmed in May, after he misplaced his attraction, that it could make additional modifications to the show.