Ben Roberts-Smith and four key witnesses were not honest or reliable, judge says in full verdict

Justice Anthony Besanko in his full defamation case verdict says Ben Roberts-Smith and four key witnesses were not ‘honest and reliable’. Photograph: Dan Himbrechts/AAP

Ben Roberts-Smith and four key witnesses he called were not honest or reliable when it came to their evidence, a federal court justice has found in the full judgment of the war veteran’s defamation case.

Justice Anthony Besanko’s complete judgment – 736 pages long – was published on Monday afternoon after he delivered an initial summary decision in court on Thursday.