Hanson Compares Personal Legal Battle to Roberts-Smith Allegations
One Nation leader Pline Hanson has drawn a parallel between her own experience of being jailed for electoral frd over two decades ago and the charges currently faced by alleged war criminal Ben Roberts-Smith. Hanson stated that she understands what the former Special Air Service soldier is enduring.
Roberts-Smith, a recipient of the Victoria Cross, was arrested on April 7 and faces five counts of the war crime of murder. These charges stem from allegations that he killed unarmed civilians during his service in Afghanistan. Roberts-Smith has consistently denied these allegations.
Hanson’s Personal Insight
Speaking to supporters of Roberts-Smith at a recent event in Brisbane, Senator Hanson remarked that she had “been in Ben Roberts-Smith’s shoes, as far as facing a criminal trial.”
In gust 2003, Senator Hanson was sentenced to three years in prison after being convicted of electoral frd. She served 11 weeks before the conviction was overturned by the Queensland Court of Appeal.
“I’ve been there, and it’s a distressing time, especially when you know you’re innocent, and I think Ben needs to know that people are supportive of him,” Hanson stated on Sunday. “In some ways, I know exactly what he’s going through.”
Support and Future Prospects
Senator Hanson, a vocal supporter of Roberts-Smith, did not dismiss the possibility of the former soldier potentially running on the One Nation ticket in the future. However, she ctioned that it would be “unfair” to place such “pressure on him” given his current circumstances.
“He’s going through a hell of a thing at the moment,” she added.
Hanson later confirmed that she has spoken with Roberts-Smith and his parents multiple times since his arrest. “I’m not going to judge him, I can’t, that’s up to the courts now,” she commented.
Roberts-Smith’s Statement
Following his arrest, Ben Roberts-Smith issued a public statement on April 19, expressing pride in his service in Afghanistan. “While I was there, I always acted within my values, within my training and within the rules of engagement,” the statement read.
He also conveyed his immense pride in the men and women who served alongside him, particularly those he described as having paid the “ultimate sacrifice.” Roberts-Smith concluded by thanking his supporters, whose well-wishes were deeply appreciated and “extremely humbling.”
