Trial begins of former Australian radio host Alan Jones over alleged sexual assaults
SYDNEY, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Former Australian radio host Alan Jones arrived at a Sydney court on Monday as his high-profile trial opened on charges that he indecently assaulted and sexually touched six men.
On Monday, former Australian radio personality Alan Jones embarked on his high-profile court trial, charged with 22 counts of indecent assault and sexual touching against six men. The 85-year-old, who held a prominent position in Sydney's breakfast radio circuit, faces allegations spanning from 2003 to 2020, involving six men, one of whom was 17 during the alleged incident.
Jones has maintained his innocence throughout the proceedings. The complainant who was 17 at the time of the alleged assault is set to testify in camera on Monday within a closed courtroom, according to Australian media. Despite unsuccessful attempts to halt media coverage of the complainants' testimonies, the judge-alone trial is anticipated to span multiple weeks, with over 70 witnesses expected to provide evidence.
Jones, a former schoolteacher who also coached Australia's national rugby union team, the Wallabies, to a Grand Slam tour in 1984, has been a controversial figure known for his combative interviewing style. In 2019, he made controversial remarks regarding then-Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
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