Shock jock Jones’ alleged public sex abuse revealed
Adelaide Lang |
Controversial radio host Alan Jones didn’t confine his alleged sexual abuse to behind closed doors, according to court documents which say he assaulted his alleged victims in public and while they were driving him around.
The 84-year-old had been accused of historical sex offences against 11 people – the youngest of whom was 17 at the time – over two decades when he dominated Sydney’s airwaves.
Court records show Jones faced 44 charges before the case against him underwent a reconfiguration in Downing Centre Local Court on Tuesday.
Crown prosecutor Emma Curran withdrew more than a dozen charges and amended others, leaving the broadcaster on 25 charges of indecent assault and two of sexual touching against nine people.
Prosecutors did not explain in court why the charges related to two alleged victims were no longer being pursued.
It was a “concession” that removed allegations of aggravated conduct or that Jones had held power or authority over any of the alleged victims at the time of the alleged abuse, his lawyer told the court.
“They are not fresh allegations,” Bryan Wrench said.
“It is a downgrade.”
Jones formally pleaded not guilty to all the charges through Mr Wrench, with the matter set to proceed to a local court hearing in 2026.
The remaining allegations against Jones suggest a pattern of indecent assaults, the most recent of which allegedly occurred in 2020.
According to the court documents, the former teacher allegedly groped two complainants at restaurants in Sydney and Kiama.
Four complainants were allegedly indecently assaulted by Jones during events and a fifth claimed he was groped during a performance at the Sydney Opera House.
The one-time Wallabies coach is also accused of indecently assaulting two complainants while they were driving him home.
Among the raft of allegations are claims Jones touched a complainant on the bottom and groped the genitals of others.
Jones will not face a trial before a jury, which Mr Wrench said was a “backflip” by the Director of Public Prosecutors.
He estimated the local court hearing could go for up to five months, in part because of extensive unresolved pre-trial issues.
“We raised a number of issues with the illegality of the search (of my client’s house), illegality of telephone intercepts, as well as disclosure, which still have not been resolved,” Mr Wrench said.
Ms Curran said the hearing was likely to go for six weeks but she hoped the duration could be reduced with discussions.
Deputy Chief Magistrate Sharon Freund noted such a lengthy hearing would add a “massive strain on the already stretched resources of this court”.
She adjourned the matter for eight weeks to allow the parties to negotiate over the pre-trial issues.
A hearing date is due to be set on November 11.
Jones was arrested in November after an eight-month police investigation into a number of alleged indecent assaults and sexual touching incidents between 2003 and 2020.
The charges, which he has claimed are “all either baseless or they distort the truth”, followed a hugely influential broadcasting career launched in 1985.
Jones became a feared interviewer who excelled at questioning leaders while dividing audiences with his outspoken views.
He worked with Sydney radio station 2UE before joining rival 2GB, where he was a long-time ratings juggernaut until 2020.
Alongside failed tilts at politics, he also coached the Australian national men’s rugby union team through some historic achievements between 1984 and 1988.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
AAP
