Key facts
- Ben Roberts-Smith's bail was varied to permit attendance at the Australian War Memorial's Anzac Hall opening.
- He was denied permission to attend a military graduation parade after-party due to concerns about interacting with another alleged war criminal, Oliver Schulz.
- Roberts-Smith faces charges related to the alleged murders of five unarmed detainees in Afghanistan.
- He denies all allegations.
- The court will hear further arguments on bail variations next week.
Former SAS soldier Ben Roberts-Smith has had his bail varied to allow him to attend the opening of the Anzac Hall at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra on June 23. However, his request to attend a military graduation parade and an associated after-party north of Sydney on June 26 was denied by Judge Susan Horan.
The prosecution expressed concerns that Roberts-Smith might interact with Oliver Schulz, another individual accused of war crimes, at the uncontrolled after-party event in Newcastle. While the judge permitted Roberts-Smith to attend the War Memorial opening, she barred him from discussing the criminal cases against himself or Schulz.
Roberts-Smith, who denies all allegations of murdering or ordering the murders of five unarmed detainees in Afghanistan between 2009 and 2012, also sought to move his home address to be closer to family in Queensland. His legal team argued he could report to a local police station, but the prosecution urged the court to maintain the requirement of reporting to a NSW police station to enforce bail conditions.
Further arguments regarding the proposed variation to his home address and reporting conditions are scheduled to be heard next week. Roberts-Smith was released on bail in April after his father, a former judge, paid a $250,000 surety. Prosecutors allege Roberts-Smith engaged in unlawful killings during his deployment, including placing firearms on bodies to falsely claim they were enemy combatants.