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Alan Jones’ lawyer has told a court that eight of the 100-odd witnesses in the indecent assault and sexual touching case “say they saw nothing”, as the defence said it had now received hundreds of pages of material that could help clear the former broadcaster’s name.
The 84-year-old will later this year fight accusations of 27 sexual offences involving nine complainants in various public and private locations over nearly two decades.
These include the Opera House and a lower north shore restaurant, as well as the 84-year-old’s various homes and former workplaces.
The local court earlier heard his contested hearing is listed for August, could last several months and may include up to 139 witnesses.
Strike Force Bonnefin was established to investigate the former teacher and Wallabies coach following a major investigation by The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.
Documents previously seen by this masthead showed the allegations include fondling penises, stroking thighs and squeezing bottoms. He is also accused of pulling a man’s scrotum and masturbating during one alleged indecent assault.
Jones is accused of committing the crimes at his former Newtown home, his harbourside apartment, his farm at Fitzroy Falls in the Southern Highlands, Tamworth in northern NSW and other Sydney spots.
Legal negotiations have been ongoing since Jones vowed to fight the charges following his harbourside arrest in November, 2024.
At a brief procedural appearance at Downing Centre Local Court on Friday, Jones’ solicitor, Bryan Wrench, said that he issued 23 subpoenas. The court earlier heard the majority of the brief of evidence had been served in November.
Having received a cache of evidence from the NSW Commissioner of Police, Wrench said he “received about 800 pages of material which, we think, is exculpatory against Jones, including about eight witnesses who say they saw nothing”.
In legal terms, exculpatory evidence refers to material that could help to clear a defendant’s name.
Jones was excused from attending court on Friday.
The court was also told pre-hearing negotiations are progressing, with final issues to be resolved relating to legally privileged and “private” information.
The commissioner’s lawyer said these were “not major issues”.
The numbers of charges and complainants involved in the case have been amended throughout the proceedings, with Jones now facing 27 counts involving nine people.
Last September, further details emerged about the allegations against Jones in updated court attendance notices seen by the Herald.
These documents allege that one complainant was assaulted five times at Jones’ Fitzroy Falls residence in 2004 by being kissed on the lips, having his robe undone and his underpants removed, Jones rubbing his penis against his own and touching and squeezing the complainant’s penis while masturbating.
That same man was allegedly assaulted while driving Jones to the Fitzroy Falls home, and twice in the broadcaster’s Sydney home in 2003.
In 2008, Jones allegedly assaulted a man three times at a Kiama restaurant, including having “stroked” him “on the front and back of his thigh on the outside of his clothing”, “patted” him “on the bottom on the outside of his clothing” and “pushed his body against the back of the complainant’s body, touching [his] penis on the outside of their clothing and pulling their penis”.
Also in 2008, Jones allegedly assaulted another man twice while being driven home from work, kissed him in the lift of his Sydney home three times and twice in the lift of his workplace, and touched his penis on the outside of his clothing at Gunners Barracks restaurant in Mosman.
In 2012, Jones allegedly assaulted another complainant at a Sydney function, touching and squeezing their bottom outside their clothing. Police say Jones “touched and grabbed” another man’s bottom at a Tamworth event in late 2013.
Jones is accused of rubbing another man’s leg “up towards his crotch” during a performance at Sydney Opera House in 2014. Five years later, he allegedly touched another complainant “on the back and bottom” during a Sydney event.
Another man was allegedly assaulted in 2015 by being kissed on the corner of his mouth at a Sydney event, and again between 2018 and 2020 at Jones’ Sydney residence, when the broadcaster is accused of “pushing his body, including his genitalia, against the complainant’s upper inner thigh”.
The court earlier heard Jones was prepared to defend the case before a District Court jury at trial, but his lawyers claimed the prosecution “deprived” him of this by deciding instead to prosecute him in the lower court before a magistrate.
On Friday, acting deputy registrar Soly Najm granted the parties access to further documents and adjourned the matter to March for pre-trial discussions to continue.
Jones announced his retirement from radio station 2GB in May 2020.
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