# Roberts-Smith says failed case cost Stokes $30m

> War veteran Ben Roberts-Smith reveals the cost of his lost defamation case and insists he has no regrets about his military career as he awaits trial on war crimes charges.
- Title: Roberts-Smith says failed case cost Stokes $30m · Abc
- Summary: War veteran Ben Roberts-Smith reveals the cost of his lost defamation case and insists he has no regrets about his military career as he awaits trial on war…
- Keywords: ben roberts-smith, war crimes, afghanistan, special air service regiment, defamation case, kerry stokes, federal court, 2gb radio, news, politics, Roberts-Smith, failed
- Source: Abc — https://abc.net.au/news/2026-10-22/nsw-ben-roberts-smith-2gb-interview-ben-fordham/107295040
- Published: 2026-10-22T04:28:23+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: ben roberts-smith, war crimes, afghanistan, special air service regiment, defamation case, kerry stokes, federal court, 2gb radio, news, politics
## Roberts-Smith speaks on radio
War veteran Ben Roberts-Smith gave a two-and-a-half hour interview to two GB presenter Ben Fordham, owned by Tapt Media, discussing his military career and ongoing legal troubles.
## Charged with five war crimes
Roberts-Smith, a Victoria Cross recipient, has been charged with five counts of war crime murder relating to his deployments with the Special Air Service Regiment in Afghanistan between two thousand nine and two thousand twelve.
## Prosecutors allege unlawful killings
Prosecutors allege the victims were unarmed Afghan nationals not taking part in hostilities, shot by Roberts-Smith or by soldiers acting under his orders during his deployments.
## No regrets about military career
When asked if there was anything he would change about his military career, Roberts-Smith said he would not change a single thing and always adhered to the rules of engagement.

> I wouldn't change a single thing. I would do it all exactly the same way, because I know I did the right thing.
## Defamation case cost Stokes $30m
Roberts-Smith revealed his failed defamation case against Nine newspapers cost billionaire media mogul Kerry Stokes, who backed the case from day one, upwards of thirty million dollars.

> I would say it would have to be upwards of 30 million.
## Federal Court found allegations true
The defamation case ended with a Federal Court finding that, on the balance of probabilities, allegations Roberts-Smith was responsible for or complicit in the deaths of four detainees in Afghanistan were substantially true.
## Trial may be five years away
Roberts-Smith said the criminal trial may be more than five years away and expressed concerns about finding twelve jurors who had not formed an opinion due to extensive media reporting of the allegations.

> How do you find people that don't already have a position?
## Key takeaway

Ben Roberts-Smith told radio station two GB his failed defamation case cost billionaire Kerry Stokes upwards of thirty million dollars, and said he would not change anything about his military career.