Overview

• The Full Court of the Federal Court upheld a 2023 ruling that found Ben Roberts-Smith committed war crimes, including the murder of four unarmed Afghan prisoners.
• Central to the case was the machine-gunning of a man with a prosthetic leg at Whiskey 108, which the court described as reckless and brazen.
• The court rejected Roberts-Smith's appeal argument that the Briginshaw principle was improperly applied, affirming the rigorous legal standards used in the original judgment.
• Three independent eyewitnesses provided key testimony supporting the findings, with the court emphasizing the rarity of such corroboration in murder cases.
• Roberts-Smith, Australia’s most decorated living soldier, plans to seek leave to appeal to the High Court, maintaining his innocence despite the rulings.