2GB broadcaster Ray Hadley ‘offered potential witness’s son a job’

2GB radio host Ray Hadley has been accused of offering a colleague’s son a job in an ‘extraordinary’ attempt to sway a potential witness in the case of a producer who is suing the shock jock over a 16-year bullying campaign.

2GB radio host Ray Hadley is being sued by a former staffer. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

• Ray Hadley being sued by ex-2GB producer over bullying
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A court has been told top-rating radio host Ray Hadley offered a colleague’s son a job in an “extraordinary” attempt to sway a potential witness in the case of a producer who is suing the shock jock over a 16-year bullying campaign.

Former staffer Chris Bowen claims the 2GB Mornings host called him a “f … ing poof” a “f … ing spastic” and a “poor simpleton” during more than 1000 instances of bullying, harassment and intimidation.

Ray Hadley (left) and producer Chris Bowen in 2014, photographed for a story about Mr Bowen saving Hadley’s life when he was choking on a piece of meat during a meal.

Mr Bowen, 40, is suing Mr Hadley for negligence and breaching duty of care in a string of allegations first revealed in The Daily Telegraph last year.

Mr Hadley later went on air to apologise for any hurt he had caused.

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Mr Bowen’s barrister Shaun McCarthy said Mr Hadley had bullied, harassed and intimidated his client on “no less than 1000 occasions”, including calling his then partner a “curry muncher”.

“The fact is Mr Bowen is alleging Mr Hadley bullied him over thousands of individual cases,” Mr McCarthy said.

“There is no doubt these will be lengthy to go through and Mr Hadley will likely be in the witness box for more than a week.”

The court has ordered Hadley and Mr Bowen into mediation. Picture: Joel Carrett/AAP

Mr McCarthy told the court his client did not want to release the names and details of witnesses ahead of any trial because of Mr Hadley’s power and influence in the media industry.

The court was told that Mr Hadley had contacted radio host Luke Bona, a potential witness in Mr Bowen’s case against him, and told him that Mr Bowen was a “crazy man” who could not be trusted.

Radio host Luke Bona.

Mr Hadley allegedly told Mr Bona that he had not called him a “lazy, black c …”, as had been alleged in an earlier court hearing, and his producer John Redman later called Mr Bona offering his son a job at 2GB.

“Mr Hadley was manoeuvring behind the scenes to offer a job to this man’s son,” Mr McCarthy said. “These are extraordinary attempts … to interfere with the proper workings of this court.”

He said Mr Bowen’s legal team were concerned that witnesses might not be prepared to give evidence if their identities were revealed before the trial because of Hadley’s power and influence in the very small world of radio.

Hadley’s barrister Callan O’Neill said there was no evidence that his client had attempted to intimidate a witness and that he would be willing to give an undertaking that he would not do so.

He successfully argued that some details from the witness statements should be revealed to avoid a “trial by ambush” if mediation was not successful.

Mr O’Neill said it was important the defence was able to “investigate the veracity of these claims” for conduct that spanned 16 years.

Acting Judge James Curtis ordered the parties to go to mediation, and set a trial date for May 17 next year if mediation failed.

Originally published as 2GB broadcaster Ray Hadley ‘offered potential witness’s son a job’