Former military lawyer David McBride sentenced to more than five years in jail for sharing classified information with journalists

Former military lawyer David McBride has been sentenced to five years and eight months in jail for sharing classified military documents with journalists.

McBride pleaded guilty to three charges, including theft and sharing documents classified as secret, with members of the press.

ACT Supreme Court Justice David Mossop rejected McBride's case that he did not believe he was breaking the law, and found the offences were aggravated by his high security rating, which gave him access to the material.

Justice Mossop did accept that McBride's mental health, which included PTSD, may have had a minor contribution to the offending.

The material released by McBride was used in the ABC's The Afghan Files story, which revealed allegations that Australian soldiers were involved in illegal killings.

McBride sat with his eyes closed and his support dog at his feet for the two-and-a-half hours it took Justice Mossop to hand the sentence down.

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