Jailing of whistleblower a travesty

As Wilcox’s fine cartoon makes clear (Editorial cartoon, May 15),  the sentencing in the ACT Supreme Court of military whistleblower David McBride to 5 years and 8 months imprisonment is an utter travesty.

   It is not only a serious blow to justice and democracy,  but  such a punitive prison sentence sends a powerful message of deterrence to  any potential whistleblowers in the future.

   Surely it is well and truly time for federal Attorney General, Mark Dreyfus, to intervene? I  can testify that Mr McBride is a person of good character who has been of considerable help to many people in Sydney suffering from addiction to alcohol and other drugs.

   I am also aware that  Mr McBride needs his registered therapy dog to accompany him everywhere he goes.

Perhaps the situation has changed, but when I served on the Queensland Parole Board and on the NSW State Parole Authority, dogs were not allowed in prison.

    In my opinion it would be extremely damaging to separate Mr McBride from his registered therapy dog.  

 Ross Fitzgerald, Redfern

The Sydney Morning Herald letters, p23, 2024.