source : the age
Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of day one of Alan Jones’ indecent assault and sexual touching trial. I’ll be keeping you informed of the latest developments with my colleague Clare Sibthorpe.
Jones, a former teacher, political candidate, speechwriter and coach of the Australian national rugby union team, dominated Sydney breakfast radio for decades before he retired from 2GB in May 2020.
More than four years later, in November 2024, he was arrested and charged over allegations he indecently assaulted, groped or inappropriately touched a number of young men.
His criminal trial starts today in the NSW Local Court in Sydney and centres on allegations by six men, who will give evidence over the coming weeks. Jones has always maintained his innocence and is defending the charges.
Warning: This blog may contain discussion of legal submissions and evidence that is confronting for some readers.
Anyone needing support can contact 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732), National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028, Lifeline 13 11 14, and Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800.
Alan Jones has arrived at court in a black sedan, accompanied by his lawyer Bryan Wrench.
Navigating a thick media scrum, Jones made his way slowly into the Downing Centre court complex where his NSW Local Court trial is set to begin at 10am.
As foreshadowed during pretrial hearings earlier this month, the Crown is seeking to rely on types of circumstantial evidence known as tendency and coincidence in Alan Jones’ criminal trial.
They will allege before Local Court Judge Glenn Walsh that Jones had a tendency to act on a sexual interest in “significantly younger” men by touching them in a professional or social context without their consent. Jones denies the allegations.
The Crown alleges that some of the six complainants in this case were “perfect strangers” who were assaulted the first time they met Jones. Other complainants, the prosecution alleges, had a platonic or professional relationship with the broadcasting veteran. Prosecutors allege he was akin to a mentor or benefactor in some cases.
The coincidence evidence seeks to draw on what the Crown has identified as similarities in some complainants’ allegations. The prosecution is seeking to rely on that evidence to demonstrate an improbability that two or more men – who are unknown to each other – would fabricate or report such similar allegations against the same person coincidentally.
Jones is entitled to the presumption of innocence and the prosecution must prove the alleged indecent assault and sexual touching offences beyond reasonable doubt.
In an eleventh-hour hearing on Friday afternoon, lawyers for Jones argued media outlets could not report the evidence of the complainants directly because this part of the trial is being heard “in camera”, meaning behind closed doors.
Members of the public are not permitted to attend those hearings, but there are provisions in the state’s criminal procedure laws allowing the media to be present during this evidence.
Jones’ team argued this provision enabled media outlets to observe the evidence to help inform reports on the outcome of the trial and the evidence of other witnesses, but that they could not report directly on the complainants’ evidence.
Seven media outlets, including this masthead and the ABC, were legally represented during Friday’s hearing to argue in support of the judge permitting contemporaneous reporting of the complainants’ evidence. Their arguments succeeded.
Alan Jones’ Local Court trial in Sydney’s historic Downing Centre court complex is being presided over by Judge Glenn Walsh, who has served on the bench since 2009. The hearing will start at 10am.
As this is a Local Court hearing, there is no jury. The judge will decide whether the prosecution has proved beyond reasonable doubt that Jones is guilty of the offences, and will also decide any sentence in the event of a conviction.
Walsh is a criminal law expert who worked as a solicitor for decades, including as the principal of his own firm, before becoming a barrister in 2003.
As is legally required, the complainants will be anonymised in media reports.
Alan Jones faces 22 charges against six complainants spanning from 2003 to 2020. He maintains his innocence and is defending the charges.
All but two of the charges are indecent assault. The remaining counts are sexual touching without consent.
As foreshadowed during pretrial hearings, the Crown will attempt to prove Jones engaged in a pattern of behaviour when acting on an alleged interest in “significantly younger men”.
The accusations include unsolicited and unwanted touching of the alleged victims’ genitals or bottom and kissing their lips.
Some of the alleged incidents are said to have taken place in private locations, such as inside Jones’ workplace, his Circular Quay apartment and his Fitzroy Falls farm, while others allegedly occurred inside lifts or cars.
Jones is also accused of unsolicited touching of complainants in public, such as at a fundraising event in Sydney and at a lower north shore restaurant.
Alan Jones’ hotly anticipated trial follows a years-long investigative and legal process.
In March 2024, the sex crimes squad attached to NSW Police’s state crime command formed Strike Force Bonnefin in response to a major investigation by this masthead.
Eight months later, Bonnefin detectives swooped on the 85-year-old’s lavish apartment in Sydney’s Circular Quay, seizing several devices and arresting the former radio king.
In the nearly two years since, defence lawyers and prosecutors have spent many days in court addressing pretrial issues.
Their arguments span from the defence claiming police acted unlawfully when executing their search warrant at Jones’ apartment – an issue expected to be aired in the trial – to the Crown’s successful attempt to rely on tendency evidence relating to Jones’ alleged pattern of behaviour in acting on an apparent interest in significantly younger men.
Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of day one of Alan Jones’ indecent assault and sexual touching trial. I’ll be keeping you informed of the latest developments with my colleague Clare Sibthorpe.
Jones, a former teacher, political candidate, speechwriter and coach of the Australian national rugby union team, dominated Sydney breakfast radio for decades before he retired from 2GB in May 2020.
More than four years later, in November 2024, he was arrested and charged over allegations he indecently assaulted, groped or inappropriately touched a number of young men.
