Former broadcaster Alan Jones’ high profile trial will get underway in Sydney today, as he faces indecent assault and sexual touching charges.
The trial, taking place at Sydney’s Downing Centre local court, is expected to run for four months, hearing from 76 witnesses.
Jones, 85, has pleaded not guilty to 22 charges, relating to six male complainants over almost two decades. He has denied all wrongdoing.
The judge-alone trial is being overseen by Judge Glenn Walsh. There will be no jury. It comes after a pre-trial hearings where some charges were either dropped or reduced.
Jones is accused of subjecting the six complainants to unwanted groping, kisses and sexual misconduct between the years of 2003 and 2020. The allegations are alleged to have occurred in both public and private places, including inside at Jones’ residences and at an event.
Of the 22 charges, there are 20 counts of assault with act of indecency, and two counts of sexual touching.
The first complainant, known only as “J”, is due to take the witness stand on Monday.
The trial comes nearly two years after Jones was arrested at his Circular Quay apartment on November 18, 2024. Police launched Strike Force Bonnefin and began investigating him in March 2024. This was after a report published in the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.
Crown prosecutors will seek to prove that Jones showed a pattern of behaviour by acting on his alleged sexual interest in younger men by touching them in a professional or social setting. The Crown will be led by Georgina Wright, SC.
The defence will argue that Jones committed none of the alleged acts.
Prosecutors will tell the court Jones touched the groins of two men while they drove, and groped another two at public function. He is also accused of kissing four of the complainants without consent.
Complainant J’s case accounts of nine of the 22 charges, according to The Guardian.
Jones, a former captain of the Wallabies, has repeatedly denied the allegations against him. “These allegations are all either baseless or they distort the truth,” he said shortly after his arrest. “The law assumes that I am not guilty and I am not guilty.”
The case has received extensive media coverage and public interest since Jones’ arrest in 2024.
If you or someone you know is experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, domestic, family or sexual violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732, text 0458 737 732 or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au for online chat and video call services.