Alan Jones trial live updates: Mother, ex-girlfriend of complainant ‘J’ to give evidence after legal issue triggers adjournment

Warning: Graphic content

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of day seven of Alan Jones’ lengthy criminal trial on charges of indecent assault and sexual touching. Court reporter Clare Sibthorpe and I will be bringing you the latest from the hearing today.

If day seven looks familiar, you’re right. Yesterday was to be the seventh day of the trial, but the Crown foreshadowed that it wanted to amend seven of the charges in the case. This triggered an adjournment for the parties to make legal arguments.

After hearing those arguments, Judge Glenn Walsh said the Crown did not require the court’s permission to make the changes, which do not relate to the alleged physical acts in the case. He concluded that it did not result in prejudice to Jones and his right to a fair trial.

The trial is expected to resume in earnest today in the NSW Local Court in Sydney’s historic Downing Centre building with more evidence relating to complainant “J”, the first witness to give evidence in the trial.

In the first week of the trial, the court heard allegations that Jones indecently assaulted “J”, a young athlete, starting with unwanted kissing when the man was a teenager in year 12. Jones denies the claims.

On Tuesday, the older brother of “J” and the complainant’s ex-girlfriend gave evidence about what they say he told them about the alleged assaults.

His brother said he had not witnessed Jones acting inappropriately towards “J”, but that the complainant told him in 2024, after Jones’ arrest, that he was one the men who had come forward.

The ex-girlfriend of “J” said he confided in her 20 years ago that Jones had touched him inappropriately. She said he looked like he had “seen a ghost” before he made the disclosure and swore her to secrecy.

Her evidence continues today. The mother of “J” and his former sporting coach are also slated to give evidence.

While we don’t expect to hear from him today, a man known as “C” will be the next complainant to give evidence. He may start his evidence as early as Friday.

The Crown alleges that Jones indecently assaulted or sexually touched six men without their consent between 2003 and 2020, and is seeking to prove 22 charges against him.

The former broadcaster has emphatically denied wrongdoing and his barrister Gabrielle Bashir, SC, said during her opening address to the court that the credibility and reliability of the complainants’ evidence would be tested.

Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) or the Men’s Referral Service on 1300 766 491.

The evidence relating to complainant “J” will continue this morning. He was the first of six men to give evidence about the central allegations in Alan Jones’ indecent assault and sexual touching trial. His evidence spanned six days.

“J” alleges Jones indecently assaulted him by kissing and touching him without his consent when he was a young athlete in the early 2000s. Jones denies wrongdoing and is defending the charges.

The Crown case is that the first alleged incident of unwanted kissing occurred when “J” was aged between 17 and 18.

“J” has alleged the indecent assaults later progressed to touching, including a series of alleged assaults on the drive to, and at, the then broadcaster’s Fitzroy Falls farm in the NSW Southern Highlands.

During his evidence this week, the older brother of “J” agreed that the complainant had received a number of gifts from Jones including a mobile phone, a car, and a weekly allowance.

He said he had also received gifts from Jones himself, and the then 2GB host had paid for the engagement ring when he proposed to his now wife.

Alan Jones’ barrister, Gabrielle Bashir, SC, asked him during cross-examination whether he also recalled Jones paying for a dishwasher for the family home, sending flowers to their mother, and giving them hampers. The man said he did not recall those things.

Documents tendered in the trial suggest that Jones gave “J” the mobile phone a month after his 18th birthday and gave him a car when he was 19.

The timing of those gifts has informed a line of questioning in Bashir’s cross-examination. “J” and his brother both suggested in parts of their evidence that the gifts might have been given at an earlier date, but they accepted under cross-examination that the records shed light on this issue.

Warning: Graphic content

The hearing resumes at 10am today with further evidence from the former girlfriend of complainant “J”, who told the court earlier this week that “J” confided in her 20 years ago that Jones had touched him inappropriately.

“J”, a former athlete, is one of six men who has accused Jones of unwanted kissing and touching between 2003 and 2020.

Jones is standing trial on 20 counts of indecent assault and two counts of sexual touching without consent. He denies the allegations and is entitled to the presumption of innocence.

These were the key parts of this week’s evidence:

• The ex-girlfriend of “J” said that he confided in her in the mid-2000s, after he had visited Alan Jones’ property, that the then broadcaster had touched him inappropriately.
• She said “J” appeared at her parents’ home looking like he had “seen a ghost”. “J” told her not to tell anyone what he told her, she said, and gave a firm “no” when she suggested he might want to report Jones.
• She has told the court the conversation occurred before their breakup. Based on the date she gave for their relationship ending, “J” would have been about 20 or 21 at the time of the alleged conversation.
• She said that “J” told her in 2024, after Jones’ arrest, that he wanted to “come forward and tell my truth” about Jones, and she agreed to give a statement to police.
• The older brother of “J” also gave evidence this week. He said that “J” told him at a meeting at McDonald’s in late 2024 that it was “the hardest thing that I’ve ever had to tell you” but he was “one of the people” who had come forward about Jones.
• He said he asked “J” at this meeting why he hadn’t told him earlier, and “J” had replied that it was hard for him and he didn’t know what to do. “J” said he didn’t want “the money, the support” from Jones to stop, his brother said.
• He said he asked “J” how bad it had been and “J” had replied: “Nothing too bad. He didn’t try to f— me or anything like that. He would try, he would grab me on the c—, he would kiss me … the hugs would go for longer.”
• He said he had not witnessed Jones behave inappropriately towards “J”.
• The brother of “J” told the court that he had also received expensive gifts from Jones. He recalled that when he was planning to propose to his now wife, “J” told him that Jones would like to help. The then 2GB host bought the engagement ring and a Villeroy & Boch dinner set as a wedding gift, the court heard.
• Documents tendered in the trial suggest that Jones gave “J” a mobile phone after his 18th birthday and a car when he was 19.