‘Betrayed’: SAS Godfather denies colluding with Ben Roberts-Smith on crucial evidence
One of Ben Roberts-Smith’s closest mates, a godfather to his child, has denied colluding with the VC winner on crucial evidence.
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The godfather of Ben Roberts-Smith’s child said the SAS felt “betrayed” by comrades who went to the media and has denied he colluded with the Victoria Cross recipient on key evidence.
Person 29 has become the latest soldier to testify for Mr Roberts-Smith in his defamation trial against Nine newspapers.
Nine has alleged Mr Roberts-Smith killed detained Afghans - claims the celebrated soldier denies.
Person 29, on Thursday, faced cross examination by Nine’s barrister, Nicholas Owens SC, about emails with Mr Roberts-Smith in 2019.
The emails focused on a 2009 mission on a Taliban base known as Whiskey 108.
Nine claims the SAS pulled two men from a hidden tunnel at the north west of Whiskey 108 before Mr Roberts-Smith executed one and watched another soldier execute the second detainee.
A soldier known as Person 14 told the court he witnessed an Australian soldier throw an Afghan to the ground before machine gunning him to death.
Mr Roberts-Smith vehemently denies the claims he was the gunman.
Person 29, in testimony, backed up the Victoria Cross recipient’s story that there were no men found in the Whiskey 108 tunnel.
Crucially he also told the court he believed Person 14’s patrol were at the opposite end of Whiskey 108 - so Person 14 could not have witnessed any killing near the tunnel.
Nine’s barrister suggested emails between Person 29 and Mr Roberts-Smith showed they “colluded” on their version of events.
“It’s right, isn’t it, that you and Mr Roberts-Smith decided together you had to say something that would mean Person 14 couldn’t have seen (the alleged execution)?” Mr Owens asked.
‘That’s not correct,” Person 29 said.
Person 29 said he could not confirm or deny Person 14’s location after being shown evidence that Person 14 had shot dead a suspected insurgent at Whiskey 108.
Later, in questioning, Person 29 agreed he had met up with Mr Roberts-Smith and other SAS soldiers loyal to the VC winner.
They dined together in Sydney on multiple occasions, the court heard, and spoke on the phone.
Person 29 denied they were colluding on evidence about Whiskey 108 to tell the court or the Australian Defence Force’s war crime inquiry in 2018.
Person 29 said he and many in the SAS felt dismayed and betrayed when the allegations of war crimes emerged in the press.
He said he didn’t believe the SAS soldiers should have stayed silent - but disagreed with what they said.
“If that’s their recollection I can‘t stop that,” he told Justice Anthony Besanko.
“But, Your Honour, even though this is a defamation case - this is the form to arbitrate and air those concerns - not by speaking to the media. Not in the court of public opinion.”
The trial continues.
Originally published as ‘Betrayed’: SAS Godfather denies colluding with Ben Roberts-Smith on crucial evidence
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