Wilce fired for being inept before Defence job

Stephen Wilce. Photo / Natalie Slade

When fantasist Stephen Wilce submitted his CV for the job as the Defence Force's chief scientist, he failed to declare a job he had been fired from the previous year for incompetence, a military court of inquiry has revealed.

The blunders over the employment of Mr Wilce had been "bloody embarrassing", the Chief of Defence Force, Lieutenant General Jerry Mateparae, said yesterday and "dumb decisions" had been made.

He and the recruiting firm Momentum Consulting are in dispute about who actually conducted the checks on the referees for Mr Wilce. Momentum said it did not conduct full reference checks because the Defence Force took responsibility for doing so.

The inquiry concluded that Momentum had conducted referee checks that met a basic standard but did not satisfy a higher standard of thoroughness required by its contract.

General Mateparae agreed with the inquiry, though he also acknowledged failings on the part of the Defence Force.

The inquiry reveals that the most expert member of the panel set up to interview the shortlisted applicants recommended that no appointment be made, but was overruled.

Concerns about Mr Wilce had been expressed even as early as during his Security Intelligence Service vetting and at various times over the next five years.

General Mateparae has ordered a formal review of the security risk posed by Mr Wilce and has followed the recommendation of the inquiry to conduct an audit of his travel and expenses claims.

An 0800 line will be set up for whistleblowers in Defence.

The inquiry received evidence from 40 witnesses and listed a litany of claims from them suggesting that Mr Wilce went on to exaggerate or lie about his sporting, military and academic prowess to colleagues over five years in the job.

Some appear to be outright lies, such as his claims to service. Others such as his claim to have been a member of the British Olympic bobsled team had a grain of truth: he was a licensed member of the British Bobsleigh Association but has never taken part in an Olympics.

He actually had the academic qualifications he claimed, a Master of Business Administration from Henley Management College in Britain, and a Master of Science in Aerospace Systems from Cranfield Institute of Technology in Britain.

But the most serious omission was a job he had recently been fired from.

He was hired for a year as the first chief executive of New South Wales company PowerServe, an electrical power systems company.

But according to a company representative quoted in the inquiry report, it was "obvious after nine months he could not do the job, did not meet expectations and was terminated".

Mr Wilce was sacked in 2003. He applied in 2004 to head the Defence Technology Agency, was appointed in 2005 and held the job for five years until September when he quit after a 60 Minutes story on his background.

General Mateparae said he would forward the report to the police to assess if charges were warranted.

"But on the face of this report I consider that a complaint to the police is unlikely to be productive. While telling lies in day-to-day life is reprehensible, further elements are required before it becomes a crime."

HIS WILD CLAIMS

MILITARY
* Service in Falklands, Northern Ireland and the Gulf War.
* Special Boat Service soldier.
* Distinguished Service Order, Military Cross and Bar.

SPORTS
* Member of the British Olympic bobsled team.
* Captained Royal Navy swimming team.
* Played for a Welsh rugby team versus the All Blacks.

ACADEMIC
* An honorary PhD in astronomy from Cambridge.
* A Master's in aerospace and astrophysics.

OTHER
* Was on the IRA death list.
* Guitarist on British folk circuit.
* Served in MI5 and MI6.
* Designed the guidance system for the Polaris missile.

Source: Wilce inquiry evidence