Launching merchandise line, former SAS soldier Ben Roberts-Smith to open up about 10 days in prison
The Victoria Cross awardee’s radio interview coincides with the launch on his online clothing store that sells a t-shirt with an image of him being arrested at Sydney airport
In an interview with broadcast Ben Fordham that will be broadcast this week, Victoria Cross awardee Ben Roberts-Smith discusses his arrest, the allegations he kicked Afghan man Ali Jan off a cliff and the ten days he spent in Sydney’s Silverwater prison after being charged, the radio host said Monday morning.
Portions of the two-and-a-half-hour interview will be played on Sydney’s 2GB radio station over several days and the full version will be posted to YouTube.
Fordham flew to Brisbane to meet Mr Roberts-Smith, who is only allowed to leave Queensland for legal or medical reasons and has never spoken at length in public about the historic charges against him.
Sign up to The Nightly's newsletters.
Get the first look at the digital newspaper, curated daily stories and breaking headlines delivered to your inbox.
By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.The interview coincides with Mr Roberts-Smith’s new business venture, which will use the controversy that has made the former Special Air Service corporal him one of the most famous soldiers in Australian history to sell personalised merchandise.
His online shop opened on Sunday by offering a t-shirt with a image of him being arrested at Sydney Airport six months ago and led away from a Qantas passenger plane by an Australian Federal Police officer.
The image on the t-shirt, which comes in grey or black and sells for $49, appears to have been taken from video footage recorded by the AFP, which posted it online to promote Mr Roberts-Smith’s arrest on April 7
A red circle is drawn around the Qantas corporate slogan painted on the jet, “Spirit of Australia”, a reference to what Mr Roberts-Smith argues is his unfair prosecution for allegedly executing or ordering the execution of five prisoners between 2009 and 2012 in Afghanistan, including Mr Jan.
“The day I was arrested and escorted onto the tarmac, I had no idea the images would capture three words emblazoned on the air aircraft behind me,” he wrote in an email promoting the store.
“Spirit of Australia. The irony has never been lost on me. Three words I’ve spent much of my life believing in and fighting for, now the backdrop in one of my darkest moments.”
Author Ben Mckelvey, who wrote a book about SAS targetting of Taliban leaders, posted on the X site: “Guess when you’re facing five murder raps you’re not thinking too much about copyright and trademark infringement.”
The AFP declined to comment.
Mr Roberts-Smith’s new Instagram account has amassed almost 50,000 followers in four days, a growth rate even high-profile entertainers would struggle to beat. A video on the site promoting the t-shirt, set to the AC/DC song Jailbreak, drew hundreds of comments, all or almost all positive.
‘Just another day’
The AFP’s decision to arrest Mr Roberts-Smith in front of his family on a shopping trip from Brisbane to Sydney triggered a backlash among military veterans and further politicised one of the most unusual criminal cases in Australian history.
The Office of the Special Investigator, which was set up to investigate war crimes allegations, has asked the National Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate how news of the arrest leaked to journalists beforehand.
Other products in Mr Roberts-Smith’s online shop include t-shirts, a tank top and trucker-style caps printed with the call sign, Epic One Two, he was assigned in Afghanistan when he fought in the battle that was recognised with the Victoria Cross.
Another t-shirt has a photo of the former soldier in uniform wearing webbing used to hold ammunition magazines and equipment under the words: “Just another day”.
In court documents, prosecutors revealed that Mr Roberts-Smith was looking for business opportunities when he was arrested.
They included a gym in Spain, an avocado farm in Myanmar and a weather shade supplier in Thailand. After leaving the army in 2013 he became a television station manager in Brisbane for Seven West Media, which owns The Nightly, and resigned when he lost a defamation lawsuit against Nine Entertainment Co.
The clothing website promises purchases will be delivered in mid-to-late November, suggesting Mr Roberts-Smith is waiting to gauge demand for the merchandise before ordering them printed.
