Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on April 8, 2026
3 min readLast updated: April 8, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleBen Roberts‑Smith, Australia’s most decorated living soldier, has been charged with five counts of war‑crime murder from his service in Afghanistan (2009–2012), refused bail, and remanded in custody until at least June 4.
By Christine Chen
SYDNEY, April 8 (Reuters) - Australia's most decorated living soldier will remain behind bars after his legal team did not seek bail following his arrest over multiple alleged war crimes, local media reported on Wednesday.
Police on Tuesday arrested and charged Ben Roberts-Smith, 47, with five counts of war crimes in connection with the murder of five civilians in Afghanistan between 2009 and 2012. Each charge carries a maximum sentence of life in jail.
He was refused bail by police and taken to Silverwater Correctional Complex in Sydney’s west where he stayed overnight.
Roberts-Smith did not appear via video link at an online bail court hearing on Wednesday morning, local media reported.
His lawyer, Jordan Portokalli, told the court he would not be applying for bail, and sought an in-person hearing for later in the day.
A bail review hearing was instead scheduled for April 17 at a courthouse in Sydney.
Roberts-Smith, a veteran of the elite Special Air Services Regiment, was hailed as a national hero for his actions during six tours in Afghanistan from 2006 to 2012.
He was awarded several top military honours, including the Victoria Cross, the highest military decoration for members of the armed forces of Britain and the Commonwealth.
The Australian Federal Police said they would allege that his victims were not taking part in hostilities at the time of their deaths and were detained, unarmed and under the control of Australian forces when they were killed.
Police would also allege the victims were either shot by the accused or his subordinates acting on his orders and in his presence.
The charges follow a joint investigation between the AFP and the Office of the Special Investigator, set up to examine allegations of criminal misconduct by members of Australia's defence force, which began in 2021.
Roberts-Smith has consistently denied allegations of wrongdoing during his service, many of which were first reported by Nine Entertainment newspapers in a series of articles starting in 2018.
He unsuccessfully challenged the accusations in court in what became the most expensive defamation trial in Australian history, and was found on the balance of probabilities to have been involved in the murder of four Afghan civilians.
(Reporting by Christine Chen in Sydney; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)
Ben Roberts-Smith, Australia's most decorated living soldier, was arrested and charged with five counts of war crimes related to the murder of Afghan civilians between 2009 and 2012.
He is accused of involvement in the deaths of five unarmed Afghan civilians who were allegedly detained and not participating in hostilities.
Roberts-Smith's legal team did not seek bail after his arrest, resulting in him being held at Silverwater Correctional Complex at least until his next hearing.
The judge scheduled the case to be mentioned again on June 4.
A joint investigation by the Australian Federal Police and the Office of the Special Investigator, set up in 2021 to examine misconduct allegations in Australia's defence force, led to the charges.
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