Shocking comment Ben Roberts-Smith made about journalists after war crime allegations were published against the highly-decorated SAS soldier: ‘I want vindication!’

Ben Roberts-Smith said his “sole mission” is to destroy the journalists who first voiced accusations of his involvement in war crimes.

Ben Roberts-Smith has said his “sole mission” is to destroy the journalists who first exposed allegations of his involvement in war crimes, a new documentary on the case has revealed.

In June, the Federal Court ruled that articles published by Nine and The Canberra Times alleging involvement of a decorated SAS soldier in four murders while serving in Afghanistan were substantially true.

Investigative journalists Chris Mathers and Nick McKenzie, who wrote articles about the allegations against Roberts-Smith, have now given the public a closer look at the investigation and subsequent libel case.

Their documentary Revealed: The Truth at the Ben Roberts-Smith Trial, which is available to stream on Stan, included audio that claimed the Victoria Cross recipient was plotting to “destroy” the careers of reporters who opposed him.

“I just want an excuse, I don’t care about the money,” Roberts-Smith is heard telling the unidentified man, which later became the source of the McKenzie and Masters investigation.

“Once I realize that, their careers will be over, and that’s what I’m aiming for.”

“I’ll do everything I can to destroy them, man, all these journalists, that’s my only mission in life.”

Investigative journalists Chris Mathers (right) and Nick McKenzie (left), who wrote stories about the allegations against Roberts-Smith, have now given the public a closer look at the investigation and subsequent libel case in their new documentary about Stan.

During a libel case Judge Anthony Besanko dismissed Roberts-Smith’s claim against Nine Newspapers and found the father-of-two war hero was involved in killing four Afghans.

The soldier was not criminally charged and has since appealed the decision.

The Stan documentary took viewers back to when the first article was published in 2018 and featured interviews with former soldiers.

McKenzie said that throughout the investigation they did not pursue Roberts-Smith, but were simply “following the truth.”

Masters said many people considered Roberts-Smith a “bully” and added the soldier could not stand up to criticism.

He recalled an interview he gave him in 2017, before the allegations were published, and said Roberts-Smith became sharply defensive when he raised criticism from other soldiers.

“He started to lose his temper and called them cowards, hopeless and worthless,” Masters said.

“His anger was like steam. I left thinking that this is not a man who has nothing to hide.”

Shadow Defense Minister Andrew Hastie, who also served in the Australian Defense Force from 2003 to 2015, also appeared in Stan’s film.

He said there was a time when “whispers” began to circulate among soldiers about the kill count and “people taking matters into their own hands.”

Roberts-Smith was a decorated SAS soldier, awarded the prestigious Victoria Cross.

Roberts-Smith appealed the Federal Court’s findings. He will appear in court again in February

“The name Ben Roberts-Smith was always mentioned in those whispers,” Mr Hastie said.

One SASR soldier, who wished to remain anonymous, also spoke out against Roberts-Smith in the documentary.

“Here’s a guy who thinks he’s going to win the war in Afghanistan by killing as many people as possible,” he said.

The case, which lasted 110 days over four years, was the second longest and most expensive libel trial Australia has ever seen, with legal fees reportedly costing $25 million.

The court found that Nine Newspapers had proven “substantial or contextual truth” in all but two of the defamatory allegations made by Roberts-Smith and in all but two of the allegations they made against the soldier.

The judge found Roberts-Smith “murdered or involved and responsible” for the killing of four Afghans between 2009 and 2012.

The former SAS corporal was reportedly involved in the killing of two Afghan men during a mission to Whiskey 108 on 12 April 2009.

He was also found to be involved in the killing of one Afghan man on a mission to Darwan on September 11, 2012, and an Afghan man on a mission to Chinartu on October 12, 2012.

It was also determined that he was a war criminal for “violating the moral and legal rules of warfare.”

Roberts-Smith has appealed the decision and will appear in court again in February.

Uncovered: The Truth in the Ben Roberts-Smith Trial premieres on Stan on December 10.

The judge found Roberts-Smith “murdered or involved and responsible” for the killing of four Afghans between 2009 and 2012.