Alan Jones to argue he never met some of his accusers
Alan Jones has described allegations against him as “baseless”. Now his plan to defend the charges, and his reputation, has been revealed.
Sources close to broadcaster Alan Jones say the radio star will argue as part of his legal defence that he never met some of his nine accusers.
On Wednesday a steely looking Jones, adorned in silk gold necktie and kerchief and a favourite pair of burgundy trousers, faced a Sydney court for the first time.
Jones is more accustomed to holding court on his popular Sydney breakfast radio shows than addressing one. Over four decades he’s routinely passed judgement on air, most controversially on former prime minister Julia Gillard, Toowoomba’s Wagner family over the Grantham floods, victims of the Cronulla riots and New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern. But his famous and influential supporters were thin on the ground outside the Downing Centre criminal court.
The politicians Jones has long favoured and written speeches for were absent, so too the many sports stars he has mentored, financially supported and housed at his luxury homes through the years. Among those, prominently, have been cricketers Brett Lee and Damien Martyn, tennis players Mark Philippoussis, Lleyton Hewitt and John Alexander, rugby union star Nick Farr Jones and NRL coach Ricky Stuart.
One high profile supporter who did turn up for Jones was legal academic and former head of the Australian Broadcasting Authority David Flint.
Without many supporters in attendance, Jones was greeted by hecklers happy to brave the wet weather to taunt him with shouts of “Shame, Alan. Shame”.
The former Wallabies coach and one time South Sydney Rugby League Club administrator arrived at Downing Centre Local Court at 10.15am some 45 minutes after he was scheduled to appear in courtroom 4.5 for mention.
He was flanked by his two lawyers, Chris Murphy and Bryan Wrench, who held the 83-year-old’s hand while guiding him by the shoulders through a dense media contingent.
Clutching a walking stick, Jones adjusted his necktie prior to entering the court building to appear before Judge Michael Allen, the NSW chief magistrate, in what promises to be the greatest fight of the conservative’s often turbulent career; to defend his reputation.
It was Jones’ first public appearance since exiting a Sydney police station on November 18 after his arrest at his luxury Circular Quay apartment.
The radio personality faces 34 charges of historical indecent assault and sexual touching with eight new charges brought on Tuesday night.
He has pleaded not guilty to the charges, which include 19 counts of assault with an act of indecency, two counts of sexually touching another person without consent and two counts of common assault.
The counts include allegations of fondling penises, kissing “with tongue” and pulling a man’s scrotum.
The incidents are alleged to have occurred at Kiama, at his Southern Highlands farm and at a former home in Newtown and taken place between 2001 and 2019 when he was at the height of his powers as a broadcaster on John Singleton’s Macquarie Media and Nine Radio.
Speaking outside Downing Centre Local Court after his appearance, Jones described as “baseless” and a distortion of the truth allegations he indecently assaulted nine men over the period of two decades.
“Firstly let me say this, I am certainly not guilty and I’ll be presenting my account to the jury as you heard this morning,” Jones told media outside the Sydney court.
“I will not be engaging in a running commentary in the media but I want you to understand this.
“These allegations are all either baseless or they distort the truth and you should know that prior to my arrest I was given no opportunity by police to answer any of these allegations.
“I have never indecently assaulted these people.
“The law assumes I am not guilty and I am not guilty.
“That’s all I can say at the moment but I am emphatic that I’ll be defending every charge before a jury in due course.”
Jones was initially charged with 26 counts on November 18. A further eight charges were brought on Tuesday.
Jones, who has a history of health issues and has regular surgeries on a bad back, will be 85 when the matter is expected to return to court in March next year.