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Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith will now be known as a war criminal after a judge ruled civil allegations that he committed several murders while on duty in Afghanistan were substantially true.
Australia's most decorated living soldier has waited more than five years to learn whether he would ultimately be remembered as a battlefield hero or a woman-bashing war criminal.
Ben Roberts-Smith verdict has been handed down, a judge dismissing his defamation case, saying allegations of war crimes are substantially true.
Despite bombshell 'war crimes' finding, Mr Roberts-Smith likely won't be stripped of his Victoria Cross, which is the highest award that can be bestowed in the militaries of the Commonwealth.
Heston Russell said it was 'disgusting' the allegations against the decorated war veteran were heard in a defamation court on the balance of probabilities and not proven beyond reasonable doubt.