Roberts-Smith denies murder allegations in 2GB interview with Ben Fordham

Ben Roberts-Smith has denied allegations of murder in a two-and-a-half-hour interview with Ben Fordham, the host of 2GB's breakfast show. The interview came out on Thursday, the day Fordham declared "It's Ben Roberts-Smith day!"

Roberts-Smith is a former SAS corporal. The SAS is the Special Air Service Regiment, Australia's elite special forces unit. 2GB describes him as Australia's most decorated living soldier. The interview was pre-recorded and exclusive to 2GB, and the full version was made available on YouTube from 9am. 2GB promoted it as Roberts-Smith's most comprehensive and in-depth interview, with no topic off-limits.

Fordham asked him, "Do you accept that shooting a prisoner is a war crime?" Roberts-Smith answered "Yes", according to the Sydney Morning Herald. The newspaper has since published a fact-check of the interview, titled "Ben Roberts-Smith 2GB interview fact-check: What is true."

Roberts-Smith told Fordham "I didn't bloody murder anyone". He also said "I don't regret a single thing", and spoke of his shock at a defamation ruling, a court decision on claims that damaged a person's reputation. According to 2GB, the extended conversation was about his fight to clear his name.

Andrew Hastie, a Liberal MP (member of parliament) and former SAS soldier, has shared his reaction to the interview, according to 2GB.

Fordham switched to hosting 2GB's breakfast program in June 2020, after a decade as the station's Drivetime host. By Friday morning, about 250,000 people had watched the interview, according to The Guardian.