Tax office whistleblower Richard Boyle's crimes were "grounded in moral courage" and he should be spared conviction or jail time, a judge has heard.

In a plea deal with prosecutors, the 49-year-old Adelaide man admitted four criminal charges linked to his exposure of unethical debt-recovery practices at the Australian Tax Office.

During sentencing submissions in Adelaide District Court on Friday, Boyle's barrister Steven Millsteed KC said it was "a rare and exceptional case".

"The court is asked to sentence an individual whose offending conduct is not motivated by some nefarious purpose, self-interest or malice … but by a sincere belief that he was acting in the public interest," he said.

Boyle has admitted disclosing protected information to another entity, making a record of protected information, using a listening device to record a private conversation and recording other people's tax file numbers.

With the exception of one charge, which involved recording a phone conversation with his dying father, Boyle's only motivation was to obtain evidence of serious maladministration with the tax office, Mr Millsteed said.

"His conduct was grounded in moral courage and a deep commitment to public service," the barrister said.

Boyle had since lost his job, suffered depression, anxiety and "full-blown chronic PTSD", and his family was in a "precarious financial situation", he added.

The former public servant had therefore suffered enough, making it appropriate for him to receive a...

Read Full Story: https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMifkFVX3lxTE4zd0VTS2cyQm15ZVQzMHVTT1N1...