Ben Roberts-Smith loses appeal against defamation ruling he committed war crimes in Afghanistan

Ruling upholds decision of justice Anthony Basenko in 2023 who found SAS veteran had, on balance of probabilities, murdered unarmed civilians

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Ben Roberts-Smith has lost his appeal against a defamation case ruling, with three justices of the federal court agreeing he was not defamed by Nine newspapers and journalists Nick McKenzie and Chris Masters when they published reports in 2018 which claimed he had committed war crimes.

The decision was handed down on Friday morning in Sydney and marks a key moment in a marathon legal battle that has spanned seven years.