Alan Jones to avoid jury trial in indecent assault case

2 hours ago 1

The indecent assault and sexual touching case against former broadcaster Alan Jones will not be heard before a jury, as a court was told two complainants were no longer involved in the case.

On Thursday, John Maddison Tower Local Court also heard charges against the 84-year-old would be reorganised, with some downgraded and others amended.

Alan Jones, who said he will fight all charges against him, at an earlier court appearance.

Jones was initially charged with dozens of offences and now faces 27 counts, but the number of complainants has dropped from 11 to nine. He faces 25 counts of indecent assault and two counts of sexual touching. It comes days after nine charges were added.

Jones did not appear at court and was excused from attending as his matter was briefly heard.

His high-profile lawyer, Bryan Wrench, told the court the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) has “made a decision for these matters not to be heard by trial by jury, but to be heard in the local court”, adding this was despite it earlier saying it would be heard before a jury.

Wrench said two of the original complainants would no longer be called as witnesses.

“There are no charges relating to the suggestion of aggravated indecent assault,” he said, telling the court Jones was pleading not guilty to all current charges.

Alan Jones’ lawyer Bryan Wrench leaves court on Thursday.

“There is no suggestion that any of the charges have that element or that he had these complainants in his authority. He did not have any power over these complainants.”

A prosecutor from the ODPP told the court they were looking at a local court hearing that would take at least 15 days, while Wrench estimated it would take four to five months.

In response, Deputy Chief Magistrate Sharon Freund said the local court “was not set up to deal with” a multi-month trial.

Jury trials are only heard in higher jurisdictions than the local courts, where hearings are presided over by a magistrate. Local courts cannot issue penalties as harsh as those that can be handed down in higher courts.

There was no explanation heard in court as to why two victims were no longer part of the prosecution case or why certain charges were suddenly withdrawn or downgraded.

Jones has vigorously denied the allegations against him. Earlier court documents seen by this masthead showed the allegations of indecent assault at that time included fondling penises, stroking thighs, squeezing bottoms and kissing “using his tongue”. He is also accused of pulling a man’s scrotum and masturbating during one alleged indecent assault.

The alleged crimes were against people with whom he had a mix of personal and professional relationships, and allegedly took place in several spots in Sydney and NSW.

Alan Jones leaves Day Street police station the day he was arrested in November.

Jones was arrested at his luxury harbourside apartment in Circular Quay last November. He later pleaded not guilty to a raft of charges.

Speaking to journalists outside court after his first appearance in December, Jones said he was “certainly not guilty” and would “be presenting my account to a jury”.

“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 these allegations,” he told media.

At an earlier appearance in May, Wrench said the defence had received several statements within the brief of evidence that his team felt were “blatantly contradictory to some of the allegations… some of the witnesses said they had never seen Mr Jones engage in any sexually inappropriate behaviour at all”.

He said the ODPP must “consider whether this matter will be proceeding”.

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, which unearthed allegations that Jones used his position of power to prey on a number of young men.

Jones announced his retirement from radio station 2GB in May 2020.

The matter will next be heard on November 11 to fix a hearing date, the court heard.

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