Key facts
- Former broadcaster Alan Jones's trial for indecent assault and sexual touching charges has begun in Sydney.
- Jones faces 22 charges, including 20 counts of indecent assault and two of sexual touching.
- The trial is a judge-alone proceeding and is expected to last four months.
- Six complainants will testify, with 76 witnesses expected to be heard.
- The youngest complainant, who was 17 at the time of the alleged offenses, is giving evidence in camera.
- The judge ruled against the defense's attempt to prevent media reporting of in-camera evidence.
The high-profile trial of former broadcaster Alan Jones on 22 charges of indecent assault and sexual touching has commenced in Sydney’s Downing Centre local court. The judge-alone trial, presided over by Judge Glenn Walsh, is expected to run for four months and hear from 76 witnesses, including six complainants.
Jones faces 20 indecent assault charges and two sexual touching charges, stemming from alleged incidents between 2003 and 2020. The youngest complainant, who was 17 at the time of the alleged offending, is giving evidence in camera on Monday. This followed opening statements from the prosecution and defense.
On Friday, Judge Walsh rejected an attempt by Jones's defense to prevent media reporting of in-camera evidence, stating that in-camera did not automatically equate to a non-publication order. He noted that Complainant J, whose case accounts for nine of the charges, was not opposed to media reporting.
Prosecutors allege a pattern of behavior by Jones involving the targeting of "significantly younger men" in his professional and social circles. Specific allegations include Jones putting his arms around Complainant J, giving him a "squeeze" and a "peck" on the mouth while saying "I love you mate," and allegedly touching Complainant J’s penis while driving. The prosecution considers it "improbable" that two similar accounts of Jones allegedly touching a complainant’s penis while driving would be untrue.
Jones has denied all wrongdoing, stating the allegations are baseless or distort the truth. He asserted outside court in December 2024, "I have never indecently assaulted these people. The law assumes that I am not guilty, and I am not guilty."