Heston Russell trial: ABC journalists defamed former commando to protect their egos, court told

Federal court hears closing submissions in defamation case brought by Russell against the public broadcaster

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The former army commando Heston Russell enjoyed an outstanding reputation before the ABC seriously defamed him to stroke its own ego, his barrister has told a court.

Russell is suing the national broadcaster over two articles, from October 2020 and November 2021, that claimed commandos from the platoon he led executed an unarmed prisoner in Afghanistan in mid-2012 because there was no room on a helicopter.

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