Ben Roberts-Smith smiles while working out at a gym as Victoria Cross recipient prepares to make first public statement since alleged war crime charges

Published: 02:14, 19 April 2026 | Updated: 02:28, 19 April 2026 Roberts-Smith, 47, is expected to address the media on Sunday, two days after he was released on bail from Silverwater Correctional Centre in Sydney's west. The Victoria Cross recipient was spotted walking into a gym on Queensland's Gold Coast on Sunday morning, where he refused to answer questions over his mood or if he had a message for his supporters. 'I'll be making a statement later today,' he clarified. 'I'll be doing that today.'  Roberts-Smith has been charged with five counts of 'war crime - murder' allegedly committed between 2009 and 2012 while he served with the Special Air Service in Afghanistan. He was taken into custody on April 7 after a five-year joint investigation by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the Office of the Special Investigator (OSI). Roberts-Smith was granted bail on Friday after Local Court Judge Greg Grogin said the former soldier would likely spend 'years and years' in custody if bail was refused. Among the strict bail conditions facing him are restrictions on his travel outside of his home state of Queensland (unless for legal or medical appointments), the surrender of his passport, and the restricted use one phone and one laptop, the details of which must be provided to police. Ben Roberts-Smith will make his first public address this afternoon since being charged with alleged war crimes He was spotted working out at a gym on Queensland's Gold Coast on Sunday morning He has also been banned from contacting any prosecution witness directly or through another party and was ordered to report to a police station three times a week. The court also demanded a $250,000 surety, which would be forfeited if Roberts-Smith failed to attend court, or in any way breached his bail. It's understood his father Len, a former judge, had offered to provide that surety. He is due to face court again on June 5.  Roberts-Smith is accused under the Commonwealth Criminal Code of shooting dead an unarmed Afghan, murdering another with an SAS comrade, and ordering the execution of three more. Roberts-Smith's arrest came almost three years after he lost a defamation action against Nine newspapers, which published a series of reports in 2018 accusing him of being a war criminal. The case against Roberts-Smith will be run by the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions and his defence funded by the Afghanistan Inquiry Legal Assistance Scheme. Each of the charges against Roberts-Smith carries a maximum penalty of life in prison. He has always denied involvement in any unlawful killings. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.