ABDF escalates action against Captain Willock’s job despite court ruling.

Justice Jan Drysdale issued an order to the ABDF on December 4, prohibiting them from taking any action against Willock, but in a recent court injunction, Willock was presented with a temporary contract valid until the end of January 2024.

Willock, who was stripped of his Staff Officer position due to alleged misconduct and asked to resign, has taken further legal action, claiming that this move undermines the court’s instructions.

Willock has stated that upon returning from his vacation earlier this month, he was removed from his position overseeing all operations and training matters and reassigned to mechanics and arranging pick-ups and drop-offs, reporting to a lower-ranking officer before raising a complaint and having his reporting status changed.

This employment dispute resulted from an earlier High Court decision to award Willock damages for being unfairly tried for misconduct, which the ABDF has yet to pay.

In a court filing, the ABDF has denied forcing Willock to resign, stripping him of any rights, or specifically or maliciously targeting him.

They also argued that Willock never held an indefinite or permanent commission and that giving him a commission scroll was an “administrative error” that they had sought to rectify quickly.

The ABDF also claimed that Willock was not guaranteed employment until the mandatory retirement and pensionable age of 47 within the military and that they had made similar changes to the commission scrolls of 36 other officers since 2013.

During the 2022 meeting, other officers were told of the error and were granted extensions based on their performance, and Willock received an extension of only about eight weeks.