August 28, 2025 — 1.05pm
, register or subscribe to save articles for later.
Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time.
Listen to this article
3 min
A former ATO employee who exposed unethical debt-collection practices at the Tax Office has been spared jail time and a conviction after years of prosecution in a case that has sparked calls for stronger protections for whistleblowers.
Former debt collection officer Richard Boyle was sentenced in the South Australian District Court on Thursday, seven years after he went public in a joint investigation by this masthead and ABC’s Four Corners with allegations of aggressive debt collection practices that led to reforms within the ATO.
Judge Liesl Kudelka accepted that Boyle’s poor mental health, which he has described as feeling like he was going to die from stress, was directly linked to his offending. “Blowing the whistle can be a tough gig,” Kudelka said.
The Adelaide man had pleaded guilty to four criminal charges including recording private phone calls and disclosing protected information in a deal with prosecutors. Each charge carried a maximum penalty of two years’ jail.
Boyle was initially hit with 66 charges, for which he could have faced 161 years in prison.
Family and supporters sobbed in court when Boyle received no conviction on...
Police Scotland urged the public not to spread false information about a Dundee incident in which a 12-year-old girl faced charges for possessing offensive weapons. The warning comes after billion...