Ben Roberts-Smith breaks silence on the photo that shocked Australia – and reveals why he almost took his own life

Ben Roberts-Smith says he thought about suicide daily for three to six months during intense media coverage of allegations against him, but that thoughts of his children helped him keep going. His account highlights the personal toll of the allegations, while he continues to deny committing war crimes.

In an interview with radio host Ben Fordham, the 47-year-old Victoria Cross recipient denied shooting prisoners or seeing other Australian soldiers do so, and said he had never broken the rules of engagement. He faces five murder charges relating to alleged incidents in Afghanistan between April 2009 and October 2012. He also described soldiers drinking from a dead Afghan man’s prosthetic leg as dark humour, saying he had no part in it.