Radio star Ray Hadley bullied staffer daily for 20 years, court hears

Radio producer Chris Bowen says he was harassed and bullied ‘almost every day’ for two decades by radio star Ray Hadley.

ray. (Photo by James Gourley/Getty Images)

The first explosive details of a bullying and harassment case filed against Sydney radio star, Ray Hadley, have been aired in court, including allegations he bullied his former panel operator Chris Bowen daily, over 20 years.

In a fiery exchange before the NSW District Court on Monday, Mr Bowen’s barrister, Shaun McCarthy, said Mr Hadley routinely called his client “little bald fat c..t” and subjected Mr Bowen to “vile homophobic slurs” and made “disgraceful remarks about his loved one”.

Mr Hadley’s barrister, Callan O’Neill responded, insisting the damages claim against his client for intentional infliction of mental harm suffered from a “lack of factual underpinning”.

He said this included the Mr Bowen’s failure to give dates or times for 94 separate categories of alleged bullying and harassment against Mr Bowen, his wife and other 2GB employees.

The Monday hearing was in response to a claim by Mr Hadley’s legal team that the lion’s share of bullying and harassment allegations levelled at the Sydney radio presenter should be struck out.

But Mr McCarthy told the court Mr Hadley’s abuse of his client “happened every day … almost every day and often dozens of times a day over a period of 20 years”.

The claim also included abuse against others, including Luke Bona, the 2GB station manager and broadcaster, who Mr Hadley alleged called “a lazy black c. t”.

“We couldn’t be more specific,’ Mr McCarthy said.

“We have this extraordinary situation here where Mr O’Neill makes his first objections (today). They’ve sought onerous particulars that have been responded to … (yet) nine months after the starting gun has gone off the further and better particulars haven’t been adequate?”

Mr McCarthy also said there was “a serious concern” Mr Hadley’s legal team was still pressing for the names of witnesses. Mr Bowen, he said, held “genuine and reasonable concerns about those witnesses being intimidated” if they were identified before the hearing commenced.

Mr O’Neill said such “most serious allegations” against Mr Hadley, and denying his legal team access to their witness list before the hearing, placed his client at an “extraordinary” disadvantage which offended “every principle of open justice”.

NSW District Court registrar James Howard ruled that in the interim he would provide Mr Hadley’s team with a list of the witnesses roles, but not their identities.

The case has been listed for a directions hearing on 12 June.

Radio heavyweight Ray Hadley, right, and then producer Chris Bowen pictured at the Sydney 2GB studios in 2014 today.