The Federal Court has found war hero and Victoria Cross recipient, Ben Roberts-Smith, guilty of war crimes, resulting in the loss of his high profile defamation case against three major Australian newspapers, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, and The Canberra Times. Roberts-Smith had claimed that the papers published defamatory articles that falsely accused him of committing war crimes in Afghanistan, bullying SAS soldiers, and assaulting his mistress. After 110 days of court hearings, 41 witnesses, and over $25 million in legal fees, the judgment was delivered by Federal Court Justice Anthony Besanko on June 1, although Roberts-Smith was not present. The judgment found substantial evidence of Roberts-Smith’s wrongdoing, including kicking an Afghan detainee off a cliff and ordering his troops to shoot him, ordering an inexperienced soldier to execute an unarmed Afghan, and running a campaign of bullying against a fellow SAS soldier. However, the defense’s truth claims were not accepted on allegations of shooting an adolescent and placing a weapon on the body, and punching his mistress. The judgment has been hailed as a small victory for Afghan victims by investigative journalist Nick McKenzie, who paid tribute to witnesses outside the court, while retired special force soldier Heston Russel called the verdict an “absolute national disgrace.” Roberts-Smith was granted a Victoria Cross medal for his role in the 2010 battle of Tizak, and he claims it made him a target within the SAS. His barrister, Arthur Moses SC, is seeking a 42-day extension to lodge an appeal, and Nine newspapers are seeking indemnity costs.