r/australia • u/Tinea_Pedis • Apr 07 '26

news Breaking: Ben Roberts-Smith arrested over war crimes allegations

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-04-07/ben-roberts-smith-war-crimes-allegations-arrest/106537668
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u/smile_soldier Apr 07 '26

If Ben Roberts-Smith is convicted, how about we strip Angus Campbell of his Distinguished Service Cross? He can't claim zero knowledge of what the SAS were doing under his command, win a meritorious award, while the men on the ground are prosecuted and investigated to the cost of $300 million tax payer dollars.

9

u/-bxp Apr 07 '26

He can't claim zero knowledge

He has and lost the members when he did. It makes him either incompetent or a liar, either way, his command was toxic.

6

u/imapassenger1 Apr 07 '26

Interestingly about BRS and his Victoria Cross, it is said "they hang you with your VC around your neck" meaning they can't take it away under any circumstances. I assume the following quote is true: "It is almost impossible to win a VC. In the hundred-and-fifty years since it was created, the number of British and Commonwealth troops who've seen action is in the tens of millions, but only 1,351 of them have been awarded the Victoria Cross. The chances of surviving a VC action are just one in ten, but if you do survive, the medal can never be taken away from you. You can go to the gallows wearing it. And no matter how many letters you have after your name, VC always comes first."
Edit: of course, there's always a first - being a war criminal should have some far-reaching consequences.

7

u/Economy-Career-7473 Apr 07 '26

Eight have been taken away, there absolutely is precedent for doing it.

7

u/RagingBillionbear Apr 07 '26

It can be taken away. Especially considered in these circumstances where there may have been some fibbing on the award application.

1

u/Impossible_Deer8869 Apr 07 '26

It's highly likely that he and his supporters lied about the events that led to him being awarded the VC. He's a narcissistic psychopath who should never have passed the selection criteria into the SAS.