Ben Roberts-Smith has made his first public statement since being charged with five counts of the war crime of murder, allegedly committed while he served in the Australian Special Air Services in Afghanistan.
The Victoria Cross recipient told reporters on Sunday: “For the past 10 years my family and I have been subject to a campaign to convince Australians that I’ve acted improperly in my service in Afghanistan.”
“As I’ve always maintained, I categorically deny all these allegations. And while I would’ve preferred these charges not have been brought, I will be taking this opportunity to finally clear my name,” he said.
Mr Roberts-Smith said he was proud of his service in Afghanistan.
“While I was there, I always acted within my values, within my training and within the rules of engagement,” he said.
Mr Roberts-Smith was “extremely proud” of the men and women who served alongside him in Afghanistan, particularly those who he said paid the “ultimate sacrifice”, he said.
He thanked his family, as well as his supporters, whose well-wishes meant a “great deal” to him and were “extremely humbling”.
Mr Roberts-Smith said his children and family “already unfortunately suffered” due to what he described as a “deliberate, sensational arrest” on April 7.
He described the encounter as “an unnecessary spectacle” and asked the media to give his family privacy.
“I understand this journey will be long, I understand this journey will be difficult,” he said.
“But I can promise everybody that I have never run from a fight in my life. I will never give up, and I will always be in the fight.”
Mr Roberts-Smith made the comments to the media, speaking from the Gold Coast, where he had travelled after being freed from Sydney’s Silverwater Correctional Centre on Friday.
He did not take any questions.
Mr Roberts-Smith spent nine nights in custody on remand before Judge Greg Grogin granted him bail.
He is accused of war crimes linked to his Afghanistan service, including the alleged unlawful killing of unarmed Afghan civilians during SAS operations. He has not entered pleas to the charges but has consistently maintained his innocence.
Mr Roberts-Smith is now living under conditions that include regular police reporting and restricted movements.
Under his bail conditions, he must report to the local police station three times a week, beginning Monday, while the legal process continues.
More to come.
