Ben Roberts-Smith defamation enchantment prone to be heard over 10 days in February

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Conflict veteran Ben Roberts-Smith’s enchantment following his loss in a landmark defamation case will probably be heard over 10 days in February.

Justice Anthony Besanko dismissed the Federal Courtroom proceedings in opposition to writer 9 Leisure in June.


He discovered allegations of 4 illegal killings in Afghanistan and bullying throughout the SAS have been considerably true, to the civil normal of proof.

The case is expounded to newspaper tales printed in 2018 by The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Canberra Occasions.


The enchantment got here earlier than Justice Nye Perram for the primary time on Thursday for what was a largely administrative listening to, the place the events defined the logistics of dealing with delicate closed court docket paperwork.

The decide heard it might be simpler to have two enchantment books; one for open court docket and one for closed court docket.

Nicholas Owens mentioned the closed court docket materials have to be saved in a secure.(AAP: Bianca De Marchi)

“There’s quite a lot of restrictions that go together with managing this materials,” Nicholas Owens SC, for 9 Leisure, mentioned.

“The opposite factor your honour will come to treat as a fond buddy is a really ugly secure that may sit in your honour’s chambers.”

The principles have been additionally in place because the proceedings performed out earlier than Justice Besanko.

Mr Owens instructed Justice Perram that the closed court docket materials have to be saved in a secure and will solely be seen with permitted folks within the room.

Much like the unique hearings, there may even should be a separate courtroom ready for the closed court docket classes.

Events agree on February for court docket enchantment

Matthew Richardson SC, for Mr Roberts-Smith, agreed that the court docket might work in the direction of February for the enchantment hearings.

“The events can proceed on the idea it will likely be listed in February for a interval of 10 days,” Justice Perram mentioned.

The choice about which judges will hear the enchantment could be made “fairly quickly”, he mentioned.

In a discover of enchantment, Mr Roberts-Smith’s attorneys have broadly challenged the judgement, which ran to some 730 pages, and prompt Justice Besanko positioned weight on “unreliable” or “inconceivable” features of witness testimony.

That doc claims Justice Besanko “added to and cherry-picked” the proof of 1 witness in relation to a 2009 raid on the Whiskey 108 Taliban compound, the place two of the alleged murders occurred.

It additionally argued “round reasoning” was utilized in relation to proof about that raid and that the decide made an error when he made “world findings” concerning the credibility of a number of witnesses.

Individually to the enchantment, 9 Leisure is continuous to pursue the monetary backers of Mr Roberts-Smith for a third-party prices order.

The drawn-out battle over the large authorized invoice has most just lately concerned arguments over subpoenas issued to Kerry Stokes’ non-public firm, Australian Capital Fairness, and the Seven Community.


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