ABC defamed former commando Heston Russell in Afghanistan articles, court rules
by Ben Doherty from World news | The Guardian on (#68D8V)
Federal court finds public broadcaster defamed the former special forces soldier by linking him to war crimes
- Follow our Australia news live blog for the latest updates
- Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast
Former commando Heston Russell was defamed by the ABC in a series of articles that linked him to war crimes and alleged he left fire and bodies" in his wake during his service in Afghanistan, the federal court has ruled.
Justice Michael Lee on Wednesday found a series of ABC articles and broadcasts defamed Russell by conveying that he was the subject of an active criminal investigation into his conduct as a commando in Afghanistan" and reasonably suspected ... of committing a crime or crimes when he was a commando in Afghanistan".
Sign up for Guardian Australia's free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup
Continue reading...