Ben Roberts-Smith, the former Australian soldier who is facing allegations of war crimes committed in Afghanistan, has won a legal bid to relocate to Brisbane in order to be closer to his family. The decision represents a rare favourable development for the decorated but disgraced veteran, whose case has drawn sustained public and legal scrutiny since a defamation trial found on the balance of probabilities that he was involved in unlawful killings.

Roberts-Smith has been charged with five murders and is accused of killing prisoners while serving in Afghanistan. The relocation ruling comes as he continues to withdraw from public roles, including stepping back from an association with the Australian War Memorial, amid the ongoing legal proceedings against him.