Ben Roberts-Smith won’t see full brief of war crime allegations for months – as it happened

Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Former SAS corporal Ben Roberts-Smith will not see the full brief of war crimes allegations against him for months because the case contains classified national security information. Roberts-Smith, a recipient of the Victoria Cross, was charged in April with five counts of the war crime of murder, allegedly committed across three incidents between 2009 and 2012, during his service with the Australian SAS in Afghanistan. The 47-year-old, currently on strict bail conditions, denies the allegations. But serving the brief of evidence against him has been delayed by months because of strict national security laws, Sydney’s Downing Centre local court heard Thursday. Crown prosecutor Chelsea Brain said Roberts-Smith could not be given the full brief of evidence against him until orders protecting sensitive information were made by the court. The application over the secret material was made by the commonwealth government. Roberts-Smith’s solicitor Karen Espiner told the court that her client, crown prosecutors, and the government would likely agree to how the classified documents should be handled. Judge Susan Horan will have