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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Ben Doherty

Key witness in Ben Roberts-Smith defamation trial acted ‘like a drunken fool’ towards police, says magistrate

Close up of Australian flag on Australian army uniform
A former Australian army soldier and key witness in the Ben Roberts-Smith defamation trial has pleaded guilty to hindering a commonwealth official. Photograph: Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images

One of the key witnesses in the Ben Roberts-Smith defamation trial has pleaded guilty to hindering a commonwealth official after he acted “like a drunken fool” in refusing to hand over his phone, wanted as part of a police war crimes investigation.

In April last year, Australian Federal Police sought the phone of the former soldier as part of a broader investigation into war crimes potentially committed by Australian soldiers in Afghanistan.

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