Ben Roberts-Smith, once Australia's most celebrated soldier, has been granted bail in Sydney after spending ten days in custody following his arrest on five charges of war crime murder. The former Special Air Service (SAS) corporal, who was awarded Australia's highest military honour, the Victoria Cross, in 2011, appeared by video link from Silverwater remand prison as Judge Greg Grogin ruled that strict bail conditions could adequately mitigate the risks of flight and interference with witnesses.

The charges relate to five separate alleged killings of unarmed civilians and detainees in Uruzgan Province, a Taliban stronghold in southern Afghanistan, during Roberts-Smith's deployments in 2009 and 2012. Among the specific allegations: that he was complicit in the deaths of two men, Mohammed Essa and Ahmadullah, in April 2009; that he killed a farmer named Ali Jan in September 2012; and that he participated in the murders of two prisoners the following month. Each charge carries a potential maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Roberts-Smith has consistently denied all wrongdoing and has not yet entered a plea.

The prosecution argued strongly against bail, revealing that Roberts-Smith had been