He said he was “trying to imply, Mr Moses, that I feel that it’s a bit rich that you’ve given a soldier depression, and then you go and become a patron, or whatever the position was, of a mental health charity.”
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Asked if he was jealous that Mr Roberts-Smith was doing charity work, Person 7 replied: “Mr Moses, I can tell you now, I have never been jealous of RS.”
Person 7 told the court on Wednesday that he had supported Person 1 in making a bullying complaint against Mr Roberts-Smith, and had witnessed Mr Roberts-Smith disparaging and “character assassinating” the SAS soldier.
Person 7 had been Person 1’s troop commander and first encountered him in 2007 or 2008, when he found him to be a “good, steady soldier”.
He denied that he was seeking to “bring down” Mr Roberts-Smith or tarnish his reputation, but said some of the things he told Mr Masters, including about Mr Roberts-Smith’s marriage, amounted to “petty, immature, childish gossip”.
He also agreed that appearing on 60 Minutes was a mistake because it was contrary to Defence Force policy to speak to the media without authorisation.
Mr Roberts-Smith is suing The Age, the Herald and The Canberra Times for defamation over a series of articles that he says accuse him of being a war criminal and engaging in a campaign of bullying against another soldier.
The media outlets are seeking to rely on a defence of truth and allege Mr Roberts-Smith committed or was involved in six murders of Afghans under the control of Australian troops, when they cannot be killed under the rules of engagement, and that he bullied a fellow soldier.
The former SAS soldier maintains any killings in Afghanistan were carried out lawfully in the heat of battle and that he did not engage in bullying.
The trial continues.
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‘Bit rich’ for Roberts-Smith to back mental health charity, soldier tells court
Source: Philippines Alive
