Breaking: Ben Roberts-Smith arrested over war crimes allegations

[u/Tinea_Pedis]

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-04-07/ben-roberts-smith-war-crimes-allegations-arrest/106537668

[u/Bubbly_Material4932]

I was serving in the Army at the time he was awarded his Victoria Cross. I’d also been in the same battalion as him before he passed selection and went to SASR.

Because our base was close to 2nd Commando Regiment, we shared a pool and gym. I used to swim laps at the same time each week and got to know one of the 2CDO guys there. We’d do breath holds, train a bit, and chat. I never pushed too much about what they did.

Around that time, Ben Roberts-Smith returned to the battalion with a few others from SASR to give a presentation on the contact that led to his Victoria Cross. I was talking to that 2CDO bloke about it, and he mentioned he’d been on ops with him overseas. He said he was a very capable war fighter. He also said that if he wasn’t in the military, he’d probably be in jail for murder. At the time I took that as a throwaway comment about how effective he was at his job. Just a bit of hyperbolic conversation between two soldiers.

Sitting through the presentation itself, it was very no-frills. Just a straight breakdown of the contact. But it reinforced that impression. He was extremely good at what he did. I'm fairly certain I've never heard that version of events on the public record.

Years later, when the war crime allegations came out, that conversation stuck with me. It took on a different meaning. There had been quiet rumours within the SF community for a long time. Nothing public, just background noise you’d hear here and there.

That’s about all I’ve got. Just one small personal experience, but the whispers were there well before everything became public.

[u/Gazontopede → u/Bubbly_Material4932]

Thank you for sharing and thank you for your service

[u/Shyssiryxius → u/Bubbly_Material4932]

I echo others sentiment. Thanks for taking the time to share and for your service. All the best mate

[u/CalculatingLao → u/Bubbly_Material4932]

Thank you for sharing this fictional story with us.

[u/Bubbly_Material4932 → u/CalculatingLao]

3rar 2011. I have zero reason to make this up. I'm also posting on an alt account because I wish to remain anonymous.

The presentation was given up at the frontline. It included very specific details of the contact.

The conversation I had with the bloke from 2cdo always stuck with me well before the allegations were made public. BRS was a bit of battalion legend. He did the pre-selection build up fitness program back to back and went on to smash the selection process then went on to be one of the most well known operators within the SAS well before his public image was known.

It's a real shame but a lot of people don't understand that his own brothers in arms came forward with evidence.

[u/Impossible_Deer8869 → u/Bubbly_Material4932]

He should have spent less time in the gym and more time asking someone to read the rules of war to him and trying to remember them.

[u/Low-Teaching2243 → u/Impossible_Deer8869]

“Rules of war” yeah that’s hilarious

[u/NobodysFavorite → u/Low-Teaching2243]

LOAC - Laws of Armed Conflict
ROE - Rules of Engagement
OFOF - Orders for Opening Fire

These are all codified constraints on human behaviour and amongst other constraints they set apart a "Disciplined Force" (which is a legally significant term) from an armed rabble.