Ben Roberts-Smith, the former SAS soldier facing five charges of war crime murder, has mounted a public relations campaign alongside the launch of a new clothing label, Epic 1 Two, named after one of his military call-signs. In a 2½-hour interview with Sydney radio host Ben Fordham and a simultaneous 6000-word story on news.com.au, Roberts-Smith denied the allegations.
Roberts-Smith revealed that media mogul Kerry Stokes had spent "upwards of $30 million" on the defamation case, which Roberts-Smith brought against The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Canberra Times. He said Stokes funded him because "he believed in me" and "he's never taken a position about, you know, innocence or guilt. It's just, you deserve to go through the process fairly."
The former soldier also criticised the 2024 change to Australia's war crimes legislation, which made it easier to establish that a person was hors de combat (out of action). Under the previous law, three conditions had to be met; the change meant only one condition needed to be satisfied. The change was made retrospective. Roberts-Smith argued that this was akin to changing the speed limit on a freeway after someone had driven it, and said it did not pass the pub test.
Roberts-Smith complained about his arrest at Sydney Airport on April 7, describing it as a farcical attempt to sensationalise his arrest in front of his partner and children.
Roberts-Smith raised the notion of a "fair go" regularly in the interviews, asking if listeners would want a fair go for their son, husband or brother in his position.
His new clothing brand, Epic 1 Two, carries the tagline "Stay comfortable in the chaos" and is intended to support his family during his legal battles.