‘I don’t want to be here’: Andrew Hastie was a reluctant but ‘straightforward’ witness in the Ben Roberts-Smith defamation case
Summary
Andrew Hastie, an Australian MP and assistant minister for defence, gave reluctant but honest testimony in the defamation case involving Ben Roberts-Smith, a former SAS soldier. Hastie described a controversial military operation in Afghanistan and expressed diminished respect for Roberts-Smith, who denies the accusations against him.Key Facts
- Andrew Hastie was required by court order to testify in the Ben Roberts-Smith defamation case in 2022.
- Hastie was the only named former SAS soldier witness, unlike others who remained anonymous.
- Justice Anthony Besanko described Hastie as honest and straightforward in his testimony.
- Roberts-Smith was called dishonest by the judge and denied ordering a soldier to kill an unarmed prisoner.
- Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party criticized Hastie publicly during the case with offensive language and a cartoon.
- Hastie recalled a 2012 Afghanistan operation where Roberts-Smith was alleged to have ordered an unlawful killing.
- Person 66, another witness, refused to answer court questions to avoid self-incrimination related to the alleged war crime.
- Roberts-Smith faces criminal charges including war crimes related to these events.
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