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  • 2 years ago
Former military lawyer David McBride has been sentenced to five years and eight months jail in the ACT Supreme Court for sharing classified military documents with journalists.

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00:00 We've had a very long judgment in the court today where the judge outlined his findings
00:10 about the arguments put in favour and against Mr McBride going to jail.
00:16 You'll remember he pleaded guilty to the three charges and he was given a 10% discount for
00:22 that plea.
00:23 But the judge rejected assertions like for instance that he said he didn't believe that
00:29 he was breaking the law and he said that he'd become so convinced of his own correctness
00:35 that he went ahead with what he did anyway even though he should have known because he
00:40 was a military lawyer.
00:42 So the judge has sentenced him to five years and eight months but he'll be out much sooner
00:50 than that on parole very likely.
00:54 His non-parole period is only a bit over two years.
00:58 What's been the reaction to the sentence, Elizabeth?
01:02 Well there was quite a vocal reaction inside the courtroom from supporters sitting in the
01:06 public gallery.
01:08 The judge at one point suggested he might clear the gallery if they didn't quieten down
01:14 but after he'd left there was sort of more calling out, people very upset at the jail
01:20 term and Mr McBride of course was taken away to jail.
01:27 But his lawyer is fighting on and this is what he had to say outside the court.
01:35 It's a shocking blow for David.
01:37 I mean David believes he is a man of integrity.
01:41 He believed every step of this way and it's been a long time, it's overwhelmed his life,
01:47 that he would be vindicated.
01:48 Well he wasn't vindicated today, he was taken away in handcuffs.
01:52 That's a very hard blow for any person.
01:55 We are appealing anyway.
01:57 We're appealing a decision made by his Honour.
02:00 So not over yet, Ros.
02:02 I'm just standing here with a clear view of the gate that the prison van's come out of.
02:08 So David McBride hasn't left yet to go to Canberra's prison but I guess that must be
02:12 imminent.
02:13 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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