Alan Jones hit with two fresh charges, as police identify ninth victim
Police say an alleged ninth victim was indecently assaulted by broadcaster Alan Jones. It follows charges on Monday of multiple counts of alleged indecent assault and sexual touching offences against eight other men.
NSW
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Additional charges have been laid against broadcaster Alan Jones, with police revealing a ninth alleged victim has been identified.
It comes after a high profile Olympic athlete is among the eight alleged victims police claim were indecently assaulted and sexually touched by broadcaster Alan Jones over two decades.
The 83-year-old veteran radio host was arrested by officers from Strike Force Bonnefin at his home in Circular Quay on Monday morning and charged with 24 offences against eight victims.
Following further legal advice, Jones was charged with an additional two counts of assault with act of indecency relating to an alleged ninth victim.
Jones, who had ruled the Sydney airwaves for almost 40 years and called the shots with eight Prime Ministers, premiers and MPs remained stoney-faced as he was driven to Day Street police station wearing a green tracksuit and clutching a walking stick.
Assistant Commissioner Michael Fitzgerald commended the complainants for “their bravery in coming forward” to give evidence against Jones.
“They are fully aware, as are the investigators, that the hard work is just beginning,” he said. “They have given their statements fully aware they will go through the courts.”
Jones was charged with 11 counts of aggravated indecent assault on complainants who were under his authority through an employment contract.
He was also charged with nine counts of assault with an act of indecency, two counts of sexually touching a person without consent and two counts of common assault between 2001 and 2019.
“In regards to the victims, we will allege that the accused knew some of them personally. Some of them professionally. And we’ll also allege that some of the victims, when the alleged offence took place, was the first time that they ever met the accused,” he said.
The youngest was just 17-years-old.
After the charges were laid Jones was escorted through a media scrum by his flamboyant lawyer Chris Murphy and his protege Bryan Wrench.
Mr Murphy said his client “denies any misconduct” and would “assert his innocence” in court.
“Nothing has been tested, nothing has been proven,” Mr Murphy said. “Mr Jones will be defending this case. He is presumed innocent.”
And he criticised Assistant Commissioner Fitzgerald for “praising witnesses who he might like to call victims”.
“This is a matter for a courtroom, and I believe he is in terrible breach doing that,” he said.
Earlier Asst Commissioner Fitzgerald said police investigations were continuing and he expected more victims to come forward with fresh allegations against the broadcaster.
“I wish to commend the investigators of Strike Force Bonnefin in their tenacity and hard work ... historical matters such as this are incredibly hard to investigate,” he said.
Asst Commissioner Fitzgerald said media reports earlier this year had led to the creation of the strike force and prompted alleged victims to come forward. But he added that “a number of people” had already been assisting police over the years.
The Daily Telegraph understands many of the alleged victims quoted in the media are not included among the eight victims in the police charges which include the former Olympian.
Allegations aired in the media span decades and include his time at Nine-owned 2GB where an employee claimed Jones kissed him in the lift and fondled him as he drove the broadcaster home.
“He’d go the grope, he’d rub my penis,” he said. “He cannot die without people knowing what he’s done.”
Retiring broadcaster Ray Hadley said on-air today that he became aware of claims against his fellow 2GB host in 2019 but was “guided by legalities” from speaking further.
He said his previous comments in support of the employee making the allegations and severing of contact with Jones were “still valid”.
“I regard this man not as an attention seeker or someone who seeks notoriety - but rather directly the opposite,’ he said.
“The behaviour he was alleging was unwanted sexual advances from a person in power, that person being his boss Alan Jones.”
Nine boss Tom Malone put out an email to staff at the time about the “distressing” allegations telling them to reach out for support if they had been “impacted directly or indirectly”.Other allegations against Mr Jones that are not the subject of the police investigation include those from the late businessman Alexander Hartman who allegedly told journalists before his death that he was Mr Jones’s “prey”.
Jones was granted conditional bail, to appear before Downing Centre Local Court on Wednesday 18 December 2024. He will not be allowed to leave the country and must remain at his luxury apartment in Circular Quay.
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