Disgraced soldier Ben Roberts-Smith has launched an appeal of the judgment in his failed defamation action against The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Canberra Times, which ruled he is a war criminal, murderer and a bully.

Justice Anthony Besanko’s decision last month found the newspapers had proven Mr Roberts-Smith broke the rules of war and disgraced his country and the army by his conduct in Afghanistan. Mr Roberts-Smith did not attend court when the judgment was handed down in Sydney last month, and was photographed holidaying in Bali.