Stolen Valor in Australia Too

Ex-serviceman Timothy Koch fined for falsely claiming to have served in Afghanistan 
ABC Australia
By court reporter James Hancock
Posted about 3 hours ago

An ex-serviceman from Port Lincoln in South Australia who falsely claimed to have served in Afghanistan has been convicted and fined $1,000.

PHOTO: Port Lincoln man Timothy Koch (left) was fined $1,000 for falsely claiming to have served in Afghanistan after he was pictured in the Port Lincoln Times. (Port Lincoln Times)

Timothy Robert Koch, 25, was too scared to appear in court at Port Lincoln after a website exposed his fraud, the court heard.

Koch enlisted in the Army in March 2008 and completed basic training in Darwin, before being honourably discharged in June 2010 after injuring his wrist during combat drills.

He pleaded guilty through his lawyer to falsely representing himself to be a returned soldier after being photographed by the Port Lincoln Times at a local RSL club on Remembrance Day last year wearing Afghanistan war medals.

His lawyer, Rachael Shaw, said Koch was deeply ashamed of his actions.
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