Decorated soldier Ben Roberts-Smith has made his first public statement since being charged with multiple war crimes, pledging to fight until the end.
Decorated veteran Ben Roberts-Smith has vowed to use his upcoming trial on allegations of war crimes to clear his name.
In his first public statement since his highly publicised arrest, the Victoria Cross recipient struck a defiant tone as he pledged to fight the charges against him.
“For the past 10 years, my family and I have been subject to a campaign to convince Australians that I have acted improperly in my service in Afghanistan,” he told reporters at the Gold Coast on Sunday.
“As I have always maintained, I categorically deny all of these allegations. And while I would have preferred these charges not be brought, I will be taking this opportunity to finally clear my name.”
Australia’s most decorated living soldier described his arrest – which happened on the tarmac at Sydney Airport – as an “unnecessary spectacle” and requested privacy for his family, with whom he had been travelling at the time.
“I understand this is an unprecedented case and the public interest is huge, and the media has a job to do, which they should be allowed to do,” he said
“But I would ask that the media please allow my family their privacy at this time, particularly my children, who have already unfortunately suffered through a deliberate, sensational arrest that was made last week, an unnecessary spectacle.
“I understand this journey will be long. I understand this journey will be difficult, 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.”
Roberts-Smith, who did not take questions after completing the prepared statement, walked out of prison for the first time in a week on Friday after being granted bail in a Sydney court.
The former SAS soldier was arrested in April charged with murdering or ordering the murders of five unarmed detainees while deployed in Afghanistan between 2009 and 2012.
The prosecution described the allegations against him as gravely serious, describing the case against Roberts-Smith as strong with eyewitnesses to the alleged murders.
The decorated veteran has been accused of directly murdering two Afghan individuals and aiding, abetting or procuring the murder of three more.
There was evidence of the use of throw-downs – objects placed on dead non-combatants to make it appear like they had been involved in hostilities – in some of the cases, the court heard previously.
Roberts-Smith has consistently proclaimed his innocence, including during a failed defamation action against publisher Nine over articles detailing the alleged war crimes.
A Federal Court judge found the accusations of murder were, on the balance of probabilities, true, findings the 47-year-old failed to overturn in subsequent appeals.
