Ben Roberts-Smith plaque defaced with graffiti results in WA Police launching criminal damage investigation

WA Police are on the hunt for the vandals responsible for defacing a plaque dedicated to war hero Ben Roberts-Smith in WA’s Great Southern. Mt Barker police have opened a criminal damage probe after a concerned member of the public noticed on Tuesday that a plaque honouring the decorated former solider, located on Albany Highway at a Mt Barker rest stop, had been damaged with blue paint. The plaque was erected to honour the former Special Air Service Regiment corporal in 2016 as part of the Commemoration Way project, which acknowledges 19 of the state’s Victoria and George Cross recipients. A photo of the damaged plaque was posted online one week after Mr Roberts-Smith — a Victoria Cross recipient — was arrested by the Australian Federal Police and charged with five counts of the war crime of murder over the alleged deaths of five people while deployed in Afghanistan between 2009 and 2012. WA Police said they are seeking the public’s assistance for any information after the plaque is believed to have been damaged sometime between 2pm on Monday and 5pm on Tuesday. Morgan Brown, who noticed the damaged plaque, said he had spoken with local police after sharing the image online. “I was disgusted and offended that someone felt they had the right to deface public property especially for a war hero that has not been proven guilty”, he said. Another person commented that the defacing of the plaque was “disgusting . . . I have no words”. Mr Roberts-Smith was arrested last Tuesday by officers from the AFP, in front of his partner and twin teenage daughters while on a school holiday trip in Sydney. AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett said it was alleged that Mr Roberts-Smith either shot the victims or that they were shot by “subordinate members of the ADF in the presence of, and acting on the orders of the accused”. The Commemoration Way project runs along Albany and South Western Highways, with each plaque featuring a photo and short biography of each veteran. In the wake of Mr Roberts-Smith’s arrest, Main Roads said any changes to the plaque would be “subject to guidance from the relevant authorities, including Veteran’s Affairs”. Anyone with dash-cam footage or footage from around the area on Albany Highway where the plaque is located is urged to contact WA Police through crime stoppers online or by calling 1800 333 000.