Whistleblowers are often complicated people – take David McBride,who will soon discover his punishment for leaking classified military documents.
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Former military lawyer David McBride’s legal team hoped he would avoid jail because he exposed problems in the national interest. Now they are thinking the worst.
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Former military lawyer David McBride pleaded guilty to three offences on Friday,after losing two separate legal bids to bolster his defence ahead of a trial that was due to start on Monday.
David McBride has lost his appeal to overturn a judge’s ruling he couldn’t argue he was duty-bound to disobey military orders,which could lead to a guilty plea.
Australia’s reputation will be put at risk if certain secret information is handed to whistleblower David McBride for his defence,the government has warned.
David McBride’s lawyer argues he was duty bound to leak information in the public interest,but the prosecution says his motivation was not to expose war crimes.
David McBride admitted to breaching orders not to disclose documents,but he was obliged to because of a higher oath to act in the public interest,his lawyer argued.