Alan Jones begins trial on sexual assault charges

A high-profile criminal trial against veteran Australian broadcaster Alan Jones began this week in the New South Wales Local Court in Sydney, with the first complainant giving detailed and emotional testimony about alleged sexual assaults. Jones, 85, has pleaded not guilty to 22 charges, comprising 20 counts of indecent assault and two counts of sexual touching without consent, involving six male complainants. The alleged offenses span from 2003 to 2020.

The trial, which started on Monday, August 3, 2026, and is expected to last several weeks, opened with evidence from a man identified only as complainant J. Now in his early 40s and a former police officer, J testified that he was a teenage athlete when he met Jones in a professional capacity. He alleged that Jones began making weekly financial payments to him, starting at $400 and later increasing, and provided him with a car and mobile phone.

J described a series of alleged incidents occurring in 2003 and 2004. He testified that Jones kissed him without consent and grabbed his penis while driving him to Jones's Fitzroy Falls farm in the Southern Highlands. At the farm, J alleged that Jones instructed him to shower and return...