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Normale Ansicht

  • ✇The Guardian
  • Erin Patterson began the day with hope. Now Australia’s mushroom murderer knows she’s likely to die in jail
    Patterson watched on, clad in prison-issued blue, as Victoria’s highest court rejected her appeal against her murder convictionsErin Patterson to die in prison after losing bid to overturn mushroom murder convictionsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastErin Patterson raised her chin and stared out on the brilliant blue promise of a mid-spring morning.To the east, Victoria’s grandest court room was filled with people she had brought together, yet she was there only on a scre
     

Erin Patterson began the day with hope. Now Australia’s mushroom murderer knows she’s likely to die in jail

Patterson watched on, clad in prison-issued blue, as Victoria’s highest court rejected her appeal against her murder convictions

Erin Patterson raised her chin and stared out on the brilliant blue promise of a mid-spring morning.

To the east, Victoria’s grandest court room was filled with people she had brought together, yet she was there only on a screen.

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© Photograph: Getty Images

© Photograph: Getty Images

© Photograph: Getty Images

  • ✇The Guardian
  • Erin Patterson to die in prison after losing appeal against mushroom murder convictions
    Victorian court of appeal rules Patterson should be jailed for life with no parole over deadly beef wellington lunch that killed three peopleErin Patterson mushroom murders appeal – live updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastErin Patterson has lost her bid to overturn her convictions and been resentenced to life behind bars with no chance of release, as Victoria’s highest court handed down its decision on two appeals regarding her triple murder case.The court of appea
     

Erin Patterson to die in prison after losing appeal against mushroom murder convictions

Victorian court of appeal rules Patterson should be jailed for life with no parole over deadly beef wellington lunch that killed three people

Erin Patterson has lost her bid to overturn her convictions and been resentenced to life behind bars with no chance of release, as Victoria’s highest court handed down its decision on two appeals regarding her triple murder case.

The court of appeal ruled on the two appeals on Friday, after justices Lesley Taylor, Stephen McLeish and Peter Kidd heard arguments from her legal team and prosecutors in August.

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© Photograph: James Ross/AP

© Photograph: James Ross/AP

© Photograph: James Ross/AP

  • ✇The Guardian
  • NSW passes ‘human compost’ laws with several MPs saying they will utilise practice after they die
    Australian-first laws provide a third legal option other than burial and cremation for the treatment of bodiesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastSeveral New South Wales MPs say they want their own bodies turned into “human compost” after Australian-first laws were passed allowing the unusual practice.The laws, passed on Wednesday, provide a third legal option other than burial and cremation for the treatment of bodies. Continue reading...
     

NSW passes ‘human compost’ laws with several MPs saying they will utilise practice after they die

21. Oktober 2026 um 20:37

Australian-first laws provide a third legal option other than burial and cremation for the treatment of bodies

Several New South Wales MPs say they want their own bodies turned into “human compost” after Australian-first laws were passed allowing the unusual practice.

The laws, passed on Wednesday, provide a third legal option other than burial and cremation for the treatment of bodies.

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© Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

© Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

© Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

  • ✇The Guardian
  • Brendan Nugent facing three charges over alleged attack on MP Helen Haines
    Victoria police arrested the 43-year-old Tarrawingee man on Monday afternoon after the incident in WangarattaWho is Helen Haines, the MP allegedly attacked in Victoria?Brendan Nugent’s family say Haines has been their friend for more than 20 yearsGet our new political email, free app or daily news podcastHelen Haines’ alleged attacker, Brendan Nugent, has been charged with dangerous driving causing serious injury, intentionally cause serious injury and the commonwealth offence of causing harm to
     

Brendan Nugent facing three charges over alleged attack on MP Helen Haines

20. Oktober 2026 um 10:18

Victoria police arrested the 43-year-old Tarrawingee man on Monday afternoon after the incident in Wangaratta

Helen Haines’ alleged attacker, Brendan Nugent, has been charged with dangerous driving causing serious injury, intentionally cause serious injury and the commonwealth offence of causing harm to a commonwealth public official.

He will be held overnight to appear at Wangaratta magistrates court on Wednesday, Victoria police confirmed in a statement, adding that it would be alleged the attack was targeted.

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© Photograph: Mick Tsikas/EPA

© Photograph: Mick Tsikas/EPA

© Photograph: Mick Tsikas/EPA

  • ✇The Guardian
  • Brendan Nugent’s family say Helen Haines has been their friend for more than 20 years
    Father of 43-year-old Tarrawingee man who allegedly attacked the independent MP says incident is ‘devastating and unfathomable’Who is Helen Haines, the MP allegedly attacked in Victoria?Get our new political email, free app or daily news podcastThe father of a 43-year-old man accused of allegedly attacking Helen Haines has pledged to work with police and described the incident as “shocking and horrific”.The independent MP remained in a critical condition on Tuesday after being airlifted from Wan
     

Brendan Nugent’s family say Helen Haines has been their friend for more than 20 years

20. Oktober 2026 um 09:04

Father of 43-year-old Tarrawingee man who allegedly attacked the independent MP says incident is ‘devastating and unfathomable’

The father of a 43-year-old man accused of allegedly attacking Helen Haines has pledged to work with police and described the incident as “shocking and horrific”.

The independent MP remained in a critical condition on Tuesday after being airlifted from Wangaratta in northern Victoria to Melbourne’s Alfred hospital for emergency surgery on Monday night. She has lost one leg, with surgeons working to save the other.

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© Photograph: PR IMAGE

© Photograph: PR IMAGE

© Photograph: PR IMAGE

  • ✇The Guardian
  • ‘Deeply appalled’: politicians condemn alleged attack after independent MP Helen Haines critically injured
    Anthony Albanese says his thoughts are with Indi MP after arrest of driver in WangarattaWho is Helen Haines, the MP allegedly attacked in Victoria?What we know so farGet our new political email, free app or daily news podcastThe independent MP Helen Haines has been critically injured in an alleged attack involving a vehicle outside her electorate office in Wangaratta, in regional Victoria.The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, confirmed on Monday night that a man was in custody after the alleged
     

‘Deeply appalled’: politicians condemn alleged attack after independent MP Helen Haines critically injured

19. Oktober 2026 um 12:10

Anthony Albanese says his thoughts are with Indi MP after arrest of driver in Wangaratta

The independent MP Helen Haines has been critically injured in an alleged attack involving a vehicle outside her electorate office in Wangaratta, in regional Victoria.

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, confirmed on Monday night that a man was in custody after the alleged attack on Haines that was now being investigated by the Australian federal police (AFP), Asio and the joint counter-terror taskforce.

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© Photograph: Hilary Wardhaugh/Getty Images

© Photograph: Hilary Wardhaugh/Getty Images

© Photograph: Hilary Wardhaugh/Getty Images

  • ✇The Guardian
  • Melbourne Islamic leader silent on centre’s alleged Flydubai hijacker links in Facebook video
    MyCentre leader Samir Mohtadi, who also goes by Abu Hamza, refers to Islamic texts on the virtues of staying silentGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA leader of a Melbourne Islamic centre allegedly linked to the accused Flydubai hijacker has released a video extolling the virtues of staying silent, without directly commenting on the accusations from prosecutors in the United Arab Emirates.Dr Hamad Saif al-Shamsi, the attorney general of the UAE, on the weekend said that
     

Melbourne Islamic leader silent on centre’s alleged Flydubai hijacker links in Facebook video

12. Oktober 2026 um 05:55

MyCentre leader Samir Mohtadi, who also goes by Abu Hamza, refers to Islamic texts on the virtues of staying silent

A leader of a Melbourne Islamic centre allegedly linked to the accused Flydubai hijacker has released a video extolling the virtues of staying silent, without directly commenting on the accusations from prosecutors in the United Arab Emirates.

Dr Hamad Saif al-Shamsi, the attorney general of the UAE, on the weekend said that investigators had traced the ideological and professional background of the 29-year-old suspect and that their findings indicated his “drift towards extremism and terrorism” began while he was studying at RMIT University in Melbourne in 2017.

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© Photograph: Erik Marmor/Getty Images

© Photograph: Erik Marmor/Getty Images

© Photograph: Erik Marmor/Getty Images

  • ✇The Guardian
  • Five-year-old girl and man, 67, in critical condition after car hits crowd in Newcastle
    Driver arrested at the scene after vehicle strikes multiple people in a crowd, leaving 10 injured including three childrenGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTen people have been injured, two critically, after a car crashed into a crowd of people in Newcastle waiting to farewell the Knights team bus before the NRL grand final.New South Wales police said a five-year-old girl and a 67-year-old man were in a critical condition, with eight others in a stable condition after th
     

Five-year-old girl and man, 67, in critical condition after car hits crowd in Newcastle

03. Oktober 2026 um 04:13

Driver arrested at the scene after vehicle strikes multiple people in a crowd, leaving 10 injured including three children

Ten people have been injured, two critically, after a car crashed into a crowd of people in Newcastle waiting to farewell the Knights team bus before the NRL grand final.

New South Wales police said a five-year-old girl and a 67-year-old man were in a critical condition, with eight others in a stable condition after the crash on Saturday morning.

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© Photograph: SUPPLIED BY 9NEWS/PR IMAGE

© Photograph: SUPPLIED BY 9NEWS/PR IMAGE

© Photograph: SUPPLIED BY 9NEWS/PR IMAGE

  • ✇The Guardian
  • From cleanskins to hitmen: are mistaken identity killings the result of Australia’s ‘crimetasker’ economy?
    The underworld is using big paydays and encrypted apps to lure amateurs into gangland hits – even young people with no criminal historyGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTwo hands extend out the rear passenger window of an Audi sedan as its driver pulls up in front of a house in Sydney’s west.In each fist is the black grip of a semi-automatic handgun. At least four shots are fired at the men outside the Merrylands West property on Wednesday before the driver pulls away. C
     

From cleanskins to hitmen: are mistaken identity killings the result of Australia’s ‘crimetasker’ economy?

04. September 2026 um 23:20

The underworld is using big paydays and encrypted apps to lure amateurs into gangland hits – even young people with no criminal history

Two hands extend out the rear passenger window of an Audi sedan as its driver pulls up in front of a house in Sydney’s west.

In each fist is the black grip of a semi-automatic handgun. At least four shots are fired at the men outside the Merrylands West property on Wednesday before the driver pulls away.

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© Composite: AAP/Guardian Design

© Composite: AAP/Guardian Design

© Composite: AAP/Guardian Design

  • ✇The Guardian
  • Erin Patterson’s mushroom murders sentence too lenient and she should die behind bars, prosecutors argue
    Crown prosecutor tells Victorian court that all seven of Patterson’s grounds for appeal should fail while arguing for tougher sentenceGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTriple murderer Erin Patterson should have been given no possibility of ever being released from prison, or a non-parole period so lengthy that she was likely to die behind bars, Victoria’s highest court has heard.Patterson, 51, is appealing against her convictions in the court of appeal, with the director
     

Erin Patterson’s mushroom murders sentence too lenient and she should die behind bars, prosecutors argue

Crown prosecutor tells Victorian court that all seven of Patterson’s grounds for appeal should fail while arguing for tougher sentence

Triple murderer Erin Patterson should have been given no possibility of ever being released from prison, or a non-parole period so lengthy that she was likely to die behind bars, Victoria’s highest court has heard.

Patterson, 51, is appealing against her convictions in the court of appeal, with the director of public prosecutions is also appealing against the sentence handed down to her, arguing it is “manifestly inadequate”.

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© Photograph: Anita Lester/Reuters

© Photograph: Anita Lester/Reuters

© Photograph: Anita Lester/Reuters

  • ✇The Guardian
  • Erin Patterson argues mushroom murder convictions should be quashed due to ‘catastrophic’ failure of justice
    Allowing jurors to stay in same hotel as police and prosecution denied Patterson a fair trial, lawyers tell Victorian court of appealFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastLawyers for Erin Patterson have argued that allowing jurors to stay in the same hotel as police and the prosecution while they deliberated over their verdicts in the triple-murder trial represented a “catastrophic” failure of the justice system.But the p
     

Erin Patterson argues mushroom murder convictions should be quashed due to ‘catastrophic’ failure of justice

Allowing jurors to stay in same hotel as police and prosecution denied Patterson a fair trial, lawyers tell Victorian court of appeal

Lawyers for Erin Patterson have argued that allowing jurors to stay in the same hotel as police and the prosecution while they deliberated over their verdicts in the triple-murder trial represented a “catastrophic” failure of the justice system.

But the prosecution say it was far from a catastrophe, and showed the system worked as it should.

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© Photograph: Jason Edwards/AP

© Photograph: Jason Edwards/AP

© Photograph: Jason Edwards/AP

  • ✇The Guardian
  • Mushroom murderer Erin Patterson was convicted over three deaths. Now she’ll argue the court got it wrong
    An Australian court will consider two appeals from Wednesday: whether Patterson’s convictions should be quashed, and if she should remain in prison for life without paroleIt was a Sunday lunch in a sleepy Australian town that was at the heart of one of the country’s most high-profile murder trials.A central question fascinated people around the world: did Erin Patterson deliberately serve her in-laws poisoned beef wellingtons on 29 July 2023? Continue reading...
     

Mushroom murderer Erin Patterson was convicted over three deaths. Now she’ll argue the court got it wrong

18. August 2026 um 08:00

An Australian court will consider two appeals from Wednesday: whether Patterson’s convictions should be quashed, and if she should remain in prison for life without parole

It was a Sunday lunch in a sleepy Australian town that was at the heart of one of the country’s most high-profile murder trials.

A central question fascinated people around the world: did Erin Patterson deliberately serve her in-laws poisoned beef wellingtons on 29 July 2023?

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© Composite: AP

© Composite: AP

© Composite: AP

  • ✇The Guardian
  • Revealed: the ‘less lethal’ weapons Australian police don’t want you to know about
    Launchers that shoot ‘bullet-like missiles’, chemical irritants and stinger grenades: experts say these weapons can cause serious injury or even death. But they are deployed by police against crowds with little scrutinyProjectiles that release powder designed to burn the eyes and throat. Flashbang grenades. Teargas. Launchers that resemble semi-automatic rifles.In Victoria, police have refused to publicly provide the make and model of their rubber bullets and other weapons even to the state’s pa
     

Revealed: the ‘less lethal’ weapons Australian police don’t want you to know about

08. Juni 2026 um 16:00

Launchers that shoot ‘bullet-like missiles’, chemical irritants and stinger grenades: experts say these weapons can cause serious injury or even death. But they are deployed by police against crowds with little scrutiny

Projectiles that release powder designed to burn the eyes and throat. Flashbang grenades. Teargas. Launchers that resemble semi-automatic rifles.

In Victoria, police have refused to publicly provide the make and model of their rubber bullets and other weapons even to the state’s parliamentarians due to “operational and community safety considerations”.

Contracts worth millions for these weapons are often with third-party distributors rather than the manufacturers, obscuring what police have access to.

During coronial inquests, after baton rounds and other weapons may have contributed to deaths, Victoria police have sought suppression orders that bar media from describing any details of weaponry.

In some states, details about Tasers have been suppressed during inquests, including the training materials given to officers.

Guardian Australia approached each force in the country for a list of the manufacturer and model of their less lethal weapons but all declined to provide one, with most citing operational safety.

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© Composite: Guardian Design

© Composite: Guardian Design

© Composite: Guardian Design

  • ✇The Guardian
  • Australian women accused of slavery in Islamic State territory in Syria face Melbourne court
    Kawsar Ahmad, 53, also known as Abbas, and her daughter Zeinab Ahmad, 31, did not apply during brief hearingFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTwo Australian women charged with slavery offences that allegedly occurred while they lived under Islamic State rule in Syria have faced a Melbourne court.Kawsar Ahmad, 53, also known as Abbas, and her daughter, Zeinab Ahmad, 31, were arrested by officers from the Victorian join
     

Australian women accused of slavery in Islamic State territory in Syria face Melbourne court

Kawsar Ahmad, 53, also known as Abbas, and her daughter Zeinab Ahmad, 31, did not apply during brief hearing

Two Australian women charged with slavery offences that allegedly occurred while they lived under Islamic State rule in Syria have faced a Melbourne court.

Kawsar Ahmad, 53, also known as Abbas, and her daughter, Zeinab Ahmad, 31, were arrested by officers from the Victorian joint counter-terrorism team at Melbourne airport on Thursday.

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© Photograph: Anita Lester/AAP

© Photograph: Anita Lester/AAP

© Photograph: Anita Lester/AAP

  • ✇The Guardian
  • Australian woman accused of joining Islamic State in Syria refused bail
    Janai Safar, 32, will remain in custody in Sydney. Two other women facing separate charges are expected to apply for bail in Melbourne on MondayFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAn Australian woman charged with joining Islamic State in Syria has been refused bail despite concerns expressed by her lawyer over the loss of connection it would cause with one of her family members.Janai Safar, 32, appeared before New South
     

Australian woman accused of joining Islamic State in Syria refused bail

08. Mai 2026 um 07:18

Janai Safar, 32, will remain in custody in Sydney. Two other women facing separate charges are expected to apply for bail in Melbourne on Monday

An Australian woman charged with joining Islamic State in Syria has been refused bail despite concerns expressed by her lawyer over the loss of connection it would cause with one of her family members.

Janai Safar, 32, appeared before New South Wales bail court on Friday after she was arrested at Sydney airport on Thursday evening, after almost a decade in a Syrian refugee camp. She was one of four women allegedly linked to IS who returned to Australia with children this week.

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© Photograph: Rocco Fazzari/AAP

© Photograph: Rocco Fazzari/AAP

© Photograph: Rocco Fazzari/AAP

Bondi royal commission: report calls for better policing of Jewish festivals after ‘high’ terror risk flagged for Hanukah event

30. April 2026 um 03:45

Interim report contains 14 recommendations, after inquiry examined agencies’ actions before the attack in which 15 people were killed

Sydney’s Jewish community told police of a “high” threat of an attack at December’s Chanukah by the Sea festival at Bondi beach, but New South Wales police appeared not to have completed a comprehensive risk assessment for the event, an interim royal commission report has found.

The interim report of the royal commission into antisemitism and social cohesion, established in the wake of December’s terror attack, found no gap in current laws that could have prevented the shooting. But it did call for greater coordination of policing at Jewish festivals and events.

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© Photograph: Mick Tsikas/EPA

© Photograph: Mick Tsikas/EPA

© Photograph: Mick Tsikas/EPA

  • ✇The Guardian
  • Rebel Wilson accused in court of trying to paint actor as ‘money grabbing opportunist’ as defamation trial begins
    Wilson denies allegations made by Charlotte MacInnes, who she claims told her about uncomfortable situation with producerFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastRebel Wilson has been accused in court of hiring a private investigator and having false information published online in order to paint another actor as a “money grabbing opportunist” who withdrew a sexual harassment allegation for financial gain.But lawyers for Wil
     

Rebel Wilson accused in court of trying to paint actor as ‘money grabbing opportunist’ as defamation trial begins

Wilson denies allegations made by Charlotte MacInnes, who she claims told her about uncomfortable situation with producer

Rebel Wilson has been accused in court of hiring a private investigator and having false information published online in order to paint another actor as a “money grabbing opportunist” who withdrew a sexual harassment allegation for financial gain.

But lawyers for Wilson insist that the harassment complaint was only withdrawn when Charlotte MacInnes – the star of her film, The Deb – decided to support the woman who had allegedly harassed her.

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© Photograph: Hollie Adams/Reuters

© Photograph: Hollie Adams/Reuters

© Photograph: Hollie Adams/Reuters

  • ✇The Guardian
  • ‘I will never give up’: Ben Roberts-Smith denies war crime allegations in first public statement since his arrest
    The Victoria Cross recipient faces five charges of war crime murder over allegations he killed unarmed civilians during his service with the Australian SAS in AfghanistanGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAlleged war criminal Ben Roberts-Smith says he has “never run from a fight in my life” as he denied war crime murder charges relating to the shooting deaths of five unarmed civilians.In his first public comments since being arrested on 7 April, Roberts-Smith spoke to the
     

‘I will never give up’: Ben Roberts-Smith denies war crime allegations in first public statement since his arrest

19. April 2026 um 06:07

The Victoria Cross recipient faces five charges of war crime murder over allegations he killed unarmed civilians during his service with the Australian SAS in Afghanistan

Alleged war criminal Ben Roberts-Smith says he has “never run from a fight in my life” as he denied war crime murder charges relating to the shooting deaths of five unarmed civilians.

In his first public comments since being arrested on 7 April, Roberts-Smith spoke to the media from the Gold Coast, where he has been bailed ahead of a possible trial.

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© Photograph: Dan Himbrechts/EPA

© Photograph: Dan Himbrechts/EPA

© Photograph: Dan Himbrechts/EPA

  • ✇The Guardian
  • Police investigate claims Katy Perry sexually assaulted Ruby Rose at Melbourne nightclub
    Perry denies the allegations, shared by Rose on social media, calling them ‘dangerous reckless lies’Police are investigating claims Katy Perry sexually assaulted the Australian actor Ruby Rose at a Melbourne nightclub more than a decade ago, allegations the American pop star strenuously denies.Victoria police on Wednesday said in a statement: “Melbourne sexual offences and child abuse investigation team (SOCIT) detectives are investigating [an alleged] historical sexual assault that occurred in
     

Police investigate claims Katy Perry sexually assaulted Ruby Rose at Melbourne nightclub

Perry denies the allegations, shared by Rose on social media, calling them ‘dangerous reckless lies’

Police are investigating claims Katy Perry sexually assaulted the Australian actor Ruby Rose at a Melbourne nightclub more than a decade ago, allegations the American pop star strenuously denies.

Victoria police on Wednesday said in a statement: “Melbourne sexual offences and child abuse investigation team (SOCIT) detectives are investigating [an alleged] historical sexual assault that occurred in Melbourne in 2010.

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© Composite: Emma McIntyre / Phillip Faraone/Getty Images

© Composite: Emma McIntyre / Phillip Faraone/Getty Images

© Composite: Emma McIntyre / Phillip Faraone/Getty Images

  • ✇The Guardian
  • Ben Roberts-Smith arrested: former Australian soldier charged with five war crime murders in Afghanistan
    Roberts-Smith previously failed in his attempt to sue three newspapers which published allegations he murdered unarmed civilians and bullied comradesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia’s most decorated living soldier, Ben Roberts-Smith, has been arrested at Sydney airport and charged with war crimes.The Australian federal police and the Office of the Special Investigator announced details of the investigation in Sydney on Tuesday after midday. Continue reading...
     

Ben Roberts-Smith arrested: former Australian soldier charged with five war crime murders in Afghanistan

07. April 2026 um 10:06

Roberts-Smith previously failed in his attempt to sue three newspapers which published allegations he murdered unarmed civilians and bullied comrades

Australia’s most decorated living soldier, Ben Roberts-Smith, has been arrested at Sydney airport and charged with war crimes.

The Australian federal police and the Office of the Special Investigator announced details of the investigation in Sydney on Tuesday after midday.

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© Photograph: AFP

© Photograph: AFP

© Photograph: AFP

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