Defence Force legal bill at least $600,000 against defamation case

War correspondent Jon Stephenson giving evidence in the High Court at Wellington. Photo / Mark Mitchell

The New Zealand Defence Force spent $600,000 defending itself against the defamation case brought against it by investigative journalist Jon Stephenson.

The figure was confirmed by a Defence Force spokesman in response to an Official Information Act request by the Herald.

It covers legal costs, including hiring a Queen's Counsel as well as staff of Crown Law, but does not include the cost of bringing witnesses to a trial held in Wellington in 2013 that resulted in a hung jury, or a payment made to Mr Stephenson as part of settling the dispute.

Mr Stephenson had claimed $500,000.

The Herald understands a six-figure sum was paid.

The journalist sued the Defence Force chief at the time, Lieutenant- General Rhys Jones, and the Defence Force, claiming he was defamed in a press release Mr Jones issued in May 2011 in response to a Metro magazine article by Mr Stephenson about the handling of detainees in Afghanistan and whether SAS troops had passed prisoners to authorities known to use torture.

Mr Stephenson argued that words in the press release meant he had made up an account about visiting an Afghan police Crisis Response Unit base in Kabul and interviewing the commander there.

The Defence Force and Mr Jones now accept that Mr Stephenson did in fact gain entry to the base and interviewed the CRU commander.