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An Afghanistan veteran whose mother blew the whistle on special forces running a topless bar has been raided over allegations he breached official secrecy laws.
Armed Australian Federal Police officers, escorted by state officers, raided former corporal Ezekiel Wilkinson’s NSW home on Tuesday seeking evidence he had published secret military information on YouTube.
Warrants served on Mr Wilkinson, a former transport platoon soldier, stated the AFP was investigating allegations he had published information identifying a “protected identity” in 2014.
The allegation relates to Mr Wilkinson posting an official interview video on YouTube showing him being questioned by army investigators over allegations he illegally imported performance enhancing substances in 2013.
The investigation failed to find any evidence Mr Wilkinson acted illegally in relation to the “peptide” substances he obtained from an Australian supplier, to help treat a back complaint that arose during his service in Afghanistan.
At the time, Mr Wilkinson said he had been put under investigation only because it was known he was bisexual and had been involved in a tryst with a male soldier based at the Special Air Service Regiment base in Perth.
During the peptides investigation, his mother alleged the army was operating a double standard in targeting her son over his sexuality. In protest, she leaked pictures of topless barmaids being employed at a government recreation facility, the Gratwick Club, frequented by SAS troops from the base next door. The club is known as Grattos by SAS soldiers, who did most of the Australian fighting in Afghanistan.
As a result of the exposure, the Australian Defence Force banned topless barmaids and an investigation led to some soldiers being disciplined.
Mr Wilkinson, who suffers from post traumatic stress disorder, said the AFP raid was highly traumatic and evidence that Defence was seeking revenge for what happened both with the Gratwick Club and the failed peptides investigation.
“I was ready to move on with my life minus the drama, after 18 months of trying to recover from my last lot of spinal surgery, when as I lay in a deep sleep, I woke to my door falling in and three AFP in my bedroom doorway,’’ he said.
“They are trying to push me over the edge but the joke is on them. I was regularly close to ending my life but now they have pissed me off and rekindled the fire.’’
Mr Wilkinson said he would be vigorously defending the charges which were baseless as the published information was not protected.
He said at the time the interview was recorded, he had been removed from SAS regiment support staff and was not subject to secrecy provisions relating to “protected identities”.
The AFP yesterday confirmed a search was conducted on Tuesday at a property at Whiteman Creek in northern NSW. A spokesman said it was inappropriate to make any further comment while the investigation was ongoing. A Defence spokesperson cited the Privacy Act in refusing to comment on the case.
The warrant sought computers, mobile telephones, SIM cards, letters, diaries, handwritten notes, video and audio equipment that related to Mr Wilkinson’s YouTube account and the video clip of his ADF investigation service interview.