Australian army whistleblower released on parole after more than two years in jail

She said McBride's life has been "defined by service to Australia", both as a legal officer for the Australian Defence Forces (ADF) and having served time for his crimes.During his court case, prosecutors argued that McBride's actions had been motivated by "personal vindication", and that the way he gathered, stored and then leaked the documents endangered Australia's national security and foreign policy.But McBride's lawyers asked for leniency, saying he shared the information with "honourable" intentions and out of a sense of personal duty.In sentencing McBride, the judge said while he was of "good character", sharing military secrets was a "gross breach of trust" and he had shown "no contrition" for his actions.The material he leaked to the ABC underpinned a series of reports in 2017 called The Afghan Files which provided unprecedented insight into Australia's elite special forces in Afghanistan, including allegations of war crimes.In 2020, The Brereton Report found "credible evidence" that elite soldiers have unlawfully killed 39 people.A special watchdog - the Office of the Special Investigator - was set up to look into the actions of 19 ADF members. Of its 53 cases, 39 have been finalised and two former Special Air Service (SAS) soldiers have been charged.Ben Roberts-Smith, Australia's most decorated living soldier, is facing five counts of the war crime of murder after he was charged earlier this year, while Oliver Schulz faces one count of the same charge.