{"id":193123,"date":"2023-08-30T18:18:49","date_gmt":"2023-08-30T18:18:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tokenstalk.info\/?p=193123"},"modified":"2023-08-30T18:18:49","modified_gmt":"2023-08-30T18:18:49","slug":"dishonest-man-abc-takes-aim-at-heston-russell-in-defamation-case","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tokenstalk.info\/world-news\/dishonest-man-abc-takes-aim-at-heston-russell-in-defamation-case\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Dishonest man\u2019: ABC takes aim at Heston Russell in defamation case"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The ABC has accused Heston Russell of engaging in \u201cvery deliberate dishonesty\u201d in his defamation case against the national broadcaster, as the judge raised questions about whether the former commando had lied in court.<\/p>\n

Nicholas Owens, SC, acting for the ABC, submitted on the final day of the Federal Court trial in Sydney on Wednesday that Russell was a \u201cdishonest man\u201d who should receive damages \u201cvery much at the lower end\u201d of the scale if he won the case.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Former commando Heston Russell outside the Federal Court earlier this month.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Nick Moir<\/cite><\/p>\n

Owens alleged Russell had engaged in \u201cvery great and very deliberate dishonesty before your Honour\u201d and had shown \u201ca clear willingness to lie\u201d.<\/p>\n

Russell, a former platoon commander, is suing the ABC for defamation over two articles published online in October 2020 and November 2021, and a related television broadcast.<\/p>\n

Justice Michael Lee has ruled the articles, read together, conveyed a range of defamatory meanings including that Russell, as commander of the November platoon, \u201cwas involved in shooting and killing an Afghan prisoner\u201d in mid-2012. The ABC is seeking to rely on a public interest defence.<\/p>\n

Both Lee and Owens referred on Wednesday to Russell\u2019s admission during his evidence that he gave a \u201cfake\u201d document to an ABC journalist who was researching a separate story on a different topic in 2021. That story is not part of his defamation case.<\/p>\n

Russell\u2019s barrister, Sue Chrysanthou, SC, said on Wednesday: \u201cA plaintiff is not here to justify his whole life; it\u2019s not a roving inquiry.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Lee responded: \u201cThere\u2019s a difference between going in a witness box and going on oath and telling [an alleged] … lie to a judge and having a roving inquiry into somebody\u2019s life.\u201d<\/p>\n

During cross-examination last month, Russell was asked about a document he sent ABC journalist Josh Robertson before the reporter wrote a December 2021 article about Russell\u2019s alleged dealings with veterans\u2019 mental health charity Swiss 8.<\/p>\n

Russell initially told the court this document was a genuine invoice for fitness equipment he ordered in 2020 for Swiss 8, his employer at the time. He later agreed it was not genuine, and told the court he was \u201cconfused by the question\u201d.<\/p>\n

He said that while it was not the genuine invoice \u201cit did represent the correct invoice\u201d, which he could not locate at the time. He denied trying to mislead Robertson and said the altered document was an \u201cexact representation of what occurred\u201d.<\/p>\n

There were \u201ctext messages with the director of Swiss 8 saying \u2026 [the fitness equipment had] arrived\u201d at the charity\u2019s premises, Russell told the court.<\/p>\n

Chrsyanthou said on Wednesday that \u201cwhat my client is accused of doing, and which he admitted, was altering an invoice and sending it to a journalist\u201d. She said this was \u201cirrelevant to the cause of action\u201d in this case.<\/p>\n

Lee said that \u201cto take the premeditated steps, if that [is] what occurred, to deliberately go through a process of manipulating a document and sending it to somebody where you know they\u2019re going to rely on it in circumstances where what you\u2019re trying to do is justify allegations made by a charity that you had not remitted funds to the charity seems to me, if proved, pretty bad behaviour\u201d.<\/p>\n

Owens alleged on Wednesday that Russell \u201cengaged in a further deception to try to justify the first lie\u201d, and Lee could infer Russell sought to procure a second invoice that reflected his version of events in court.<\/p>\n

But Chrysanthou said Russell \u201cdid not create the [second] document and that was not suggested to him\u201d in court.<\/p>\n

She said that \u201cthe point of a defamation claim is to compensate for what the media said, not for something else\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is because there\u2019s no perfect plaintiff,\u201d she said. \u201cIn every single case you read, the plaintiff missteps at some point in the proceedings. I cannot think of a case where a trial judge has said, \u2018I accept every single thing that the plaintiff said.\u2019 It just doesn\u2019t happen. Journalists are not expected to be perfect, either.\u201d<\/p>\n

The judge will deliver his decision at a later date.<\/p>\n

The Morning Edition newsletter is our guide to the day\u2019s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. <\/i><\/b>Sign up here<\/i><\/b>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

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