An Afghan villager who claims he saw a "big soldier" kick a farmer into a river bed during a special forces mission in 2012 will continue giving evidence at Ben Roberts-Smith's defamation trial.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Mr Roberts-Smith, 42, is suing The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Canberra Times in the Federal Court in Sydney over media reports published in 2018 that he says portray him as a war criminal.
The war hero denies the claims while the news outlets have launched a truth defence.
Despite Sydney's COVID-19 lockdown, the high-profile trial resumed this week to hear evidence from four witnesses in Afghanistan, as the security situation in Kabul deteriorates.
The trial on Tuesday is expected to continue hearing testimony from Darwan villager Mohammed Hanifa Fatih, who claims he saw a "big soldier" kick his relative Ali Jan into river bed before he found him dead in a field.
A key accusation at the trial centres on whether Mr Roberts-Smith kicked Ali Jan off a small cliff during a Special Air Service operation at Darwan, in Uruzgan province, in September 2012.
Mr Roberts-Smith denies the claim and argues Ali Jan was a Taliban spotter.
On Monday, Mr Fatih testified he was less than two metres from Ali Jan when a "big soldier" sent him "rolling down" into the river bed with a kick.
He told the court he then saw soldiers drag Ali Jan to a berry tree and heard gunshots before finding his relative's dead body in a field.
He told the court Ali Jan was not Taliban but someone who was providing for his children and protecting his family and property.
In addition to the Afghanistan evidence, the trial is expected to hear from current and former SAS members, federal MP Andrew Hastie and Mr Roberts-Smith's ex-wife Emma Roberts.
The trial continues before Justice Anthony Besanko.
Australian Associated Press
