Former Special Forces Commando Heston Russell speaks out about libel suit in Spotlight interview with ABC

The ABC has had to make an embarrassing admission regarding its coverage of the war in Afghanistan. It claims that additional shots were added to a video showing Australian soldiers firing from a helicopter.

In a statement to 7NEWS Spotlight, the national broadcaster said it had removed an online video that included a 15-second excerpt from a longer clip that, according to the ABC, appeared to show Special Forces commando Heston Russell attempting to kill unarmed Afghan civilians.

The Spotlight team had previously reported discrepancies in the audio analysis of the clip, which was broadcast by ABC as part of a package about Russell. Russell later successfully sued the media company for defamation, seeking $400,000 in damages.

Speaking to Spotlight, Russell said the clip shows a member of his team firing a warning shot from the helicopter after pursuing two enemy insurgents from the air.

“This guy was just sitting on the back of a motorcycle with his buddy and was shooting at two of my teams who were lying on the ground,” he said.

“After the warning shot, this insurgent ran into an area and the drone saw him bend down and pick something up. He picked up something that looked like a weapon.

“It's not about accusing someone of shoplifting, it's not about accusing someone of parking illegally, it's about accusing special forces soldiers of being war criminals.”

An analysis by a digital audio expert commissioned by Spotlight found that a clip used in an ABC report by Mark Willacy had five additional shots added above the single warning shot.

“They took the audio from the six recordings and applied it to this video in the news clip and copied and pasted it into the scene,” said audio analyst James Raper.

“It completely misrepresents what these soldiers went through that day.”

In a shocking statement to Spotlight, an ABC spokesperson said the video had been removed.

“We have removed the online video, which was found to be inaccurate based on a preliminary review of the audio,” an ABC spokesperson said.

“ABC is seeking further information on how this happened.

The stories were produced by the ABC's Special Investigations Unit, led by Jo Puccini and award-winning reporter Mark Willacy.

“Jo Puccini, Mark Willacy and Josh Robertson were not involved in the production or editing of the online video you brought to our attention,” the spokesperson said.

“Any suggestion that they acted inappropriately or unethically is completely false.”

Mr Russell said he had alerted the ABC to the full video from his helmet camera, but it had not been confirmed by the national broadcaster.

ABC also reported that Mr Russell was the one who shot at the insurgents, which he denies.

He claimed that a source from the Brereton inquiry into alleged war crimes in Afghanistan had leaked to ABC that he was the shooter because he had told investigators it was him – because he had been put into an emotional state while giving evidence.

Mr Russell took legal action after a series of reports emerged, including one alleging that Australian soldiers executed a shackled prisoner during a helicopter evacuation in 2012.

The 2020 story by ABC's Mark Willacy is based on a source in the U.S. Marine Corps.

Although the source warned Willacy about his “fuzzy” memory and that he could not remember “enough specific details,” the comments were used.

The Marine said he heard a “pop” sound on his helicopter radio and assumed it was a gunshot without seeing the incident.

Mr Russell complained, but the public broadcaster refused to apologise.

Judge Michael Lee later ruled that Mr Russell had been severely defamed and awarded the former soldier $400,000 in damages plus legal fees.

Shadow Minister for Communications Sarah Henderson said the story was “a shocking reflection of the ABC and its culture”.