One of Australia's most-decorated soldiers will remain in prison after his lawyers did not apply for bail on Wednesday, a day after he was charged with war crimes.
Former Special Air Services officer Ben Roberts-Smith was charged Tuesday with murdering unarmed prisoners captured in Afghanistan, following a sweeping war crimes probe.
The 47-year-old spent the night in a Sydney jail and his lawyer told an online bail court on Wednesday he would not seek an application for release, instead requesting an appearance at the city's major courthouse. The case was adjourned to June.
Roberts-Smith, a distinguished soldier awarded Australia's highest military honour for his efforts fighting insurgents, is facing five counts of "war crime-murder".
They included one "actual offence", one "joint commission to an offence", and three counts of aiding or abetting a murder.
The towering soldier became a household name across Australia when he was awarded the Victoria Cross in 2011, a medal reserved for only the most courageous wartime exploits.
But the war hero's reputation was called into question in 2018 when a series of news reports linked him to the alleged murder of unarmed Afghan prisoners by Australian troops.
Police allege he was complicit in a string of unlawful killings between 2009 and 2012.
Should Roberts-Smith be found guilty, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Australia deployed 39,000 troops to Afghanistan over two decades as part of US- and NATO-led operations against the Taliban and other militant groups.
