Ben Roberts-Smith twists in ‘trial of the century’ as veteran to testify on alleged murder of prisoner

A soldier serving with Ben Roberts-Smith is expected to detail before the court what he saw when an Australian war hero allegedly ordered the murder of a man under arrest.

Mr Roberts-Smith, who denies any wrongdoing during his six tours Afghanistan, is suing three newspapers in federal court over reports of alleged war crimes.

Newspapers, who have requested to defend the truth, are on Friday to call their second Australian-based witness: an SAS soldier codenamed Person 14.

According to the newspaper’s defense, Person 14, Mr Roberts-Smith, an interpreter and member of the Afghan Partner Force, was on a mission in Khaz Oruzgan in October 2012 when an Afghan man was arrested.

While Mr Roberts-Smith questioned the man whom the newspapers alleged was not showing any threats or violent signs, Person 14 found a cache of weapons nearby, the claim said.

Mr Roberts-Smith reportedly asked the interpreter to relay an execution message to Afghan soldiers.

The trial also hears allegations that another Afghan prisoner was murdered at a Taliban compound named Whiskey 108.

Newspapers have suggested that Person 14 told Mr Roberts-Smith in 2018 that he wanted to tell the truth about what happened at Whiskey 108, including the alleged machine-gunning of an Afghan with a prosthetic leg .

Mr. Owens told Mr. Roberts-Smith last year, ‘You are terrified of what he said.’

Mr Roberts-Smith has been named Australia’s most convicted solider and is facing a defamation suit over claims made about him

‘No… I was surprised,’ the VC recipient replied, later adding that he was ‘in shock’ and believed ‘the whole thing was a stitch’.

Newspapers are expected to call around two dozen witnesses.

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