Jamie McKinnell

Well, we heard from him on the weekend, on Sunday on the Gold Coast.

He read out a prepared statement, and that was the first time since his release on bail that we've heard him speak.

Actually, since his arrest, obviously, because he's been in custody.

But during that statement, he categorically rejected all of the allegations.

He said he will fight to clear his name and that he's never run from a fight in his life.

But he also took aim at the actions of police and investigators who arrested him at Sydney Airport.

He described that as sensational and called it an unnecessary spectacle.

And he also defended his military career in a broader sense, I guess.

He said,

And he also, during that public statement, made an appeal for privacy because, as you've mentioned, Stockie, he's been the subject of a lot of media reporting.

He's no doubt been followed by cameras a lot since that time as well.

So he appealed for privacy as well and said, look, for the sake of my family especially, who have already been involved in the arrest happening in front of his daughters, he seemed concerned about that.

So he broadly asked for the media to give him some privacy now.

Yeah.

So he's been given bail to live in Queensland and he has been, as I said, checking into a police station three times each week as part of the bail conditions.

Well, early June is the next time this will be before a judge in Sydney, but Ben Roberts-Smith was excused from attending that day if he's legally represented, so we'll probably only see his lawyers that day.

As I mentioned too, prosecutors said the brief of evidence should be substantially served, in their words, by the end of July.

But Ben Roberts-Smith's lawyers seemed to strongly disagree with that as a realistic timetable and said, look, because of the likely delays and complications, they didn't think that was going to happen.

Um, so really we're going to have to wait for that next big step is the, you know, the defence is handed the brief of evidence and then we see how it might play out from then on.

No, that's absolutely fair.