Ben Roberts-Smith

The first SAS soldier to testify on behalf of Ben Roberts-Smith at the defamation trial he launched has contradicted key allegations lobbed against the war ...

An SAS patrol commander deployed to Afghanistan alongside Ben Roberts-Smith has denied saying a rookie soldier should be “blooded” by making a first kill.

Asked if he drank from it as well, Person 5 said yes, and explained he did it because it was “a cultural thing”. Nine has claimed that Person 5 said the patrol needed to “blood the rookie”, referring to a soldier known as Person 4. Person 5 described the Whiskey 108 mission in detail, including a colleague's descent into a tunnel that was declared “clear”. He explained he understood the term to mean “when a new member or young member gets his first kill in battle”. He responded “never” when asked by the Victoria Cross recipient’s barrister if he ever said that the team was going to ”blood the rookie”. Person 5 described Mr Roberts-Smith as an “easy choice” for a second-in-command when preparing to deploy to Afghanistan in 2009.

Justice Anthony Besanko has heard many variations on the story of what happened at the village compound dubbed Whisky 108 in southern Afghanistan on Easter ...

A retired member of the Special Air Service Regiment, known as Person 5, took to the stand today and contra...

The first Special Air Service (SAS) soldier to testify on behalf of Ben Roberts-Smith at the defamation trial he launched has contradicted key allegations ...

An SAS patrol commander deployed to Afghanistan alongside Ben Roberts-Smith has denied saying a rookie soldier should be “blooded” by making a first kill.