A lawyer for Alan Jones has raised concern about a “crusade” against the former high-profile broadcaster as he formally denies a 35th charge.
The shock jock who ruled the airwaves for decades has pleaded not guilty through a lawyer today to assault with an act of indecency.
The charge laid on Friday was added to 34 others, mostly alleging the former media titan of sexually touching multiple people between 2001 and 2019.
Lawyer Bryan Wrench raised in court investigative journalist Kate McClymont’s links to the case, after the defence received a brief of evidence from prosecutors on Thursday.
McClymont has been named as a witness in the case but continued to publish articles about the matter, Wrench said.
The nine-time Walkley Award winner, who was seated in court, revealed multiple allegations against the influential broadcaster in late 2023, sparking the police investigation in March 2024.
“What we are concerned about is she has published an article in the Sydney Morning Herald in the past day directly talking about this case,” Wrench said.
“We are concerned this might be part of the ‘anti-Jones crusade’ and this might be a furtherance of this.”
He also flagged Jones would seek documents about NSW Police’s contact with media after news of the 35th charge was published inside an hour of it being laid.
“Before Mr Jones was even interviewed, police laid the charge,” Wrench said.
As media scurried to take down Wrench’s bar-table comments, Magistrate Daniel Covington questioned what steps the local court could take at such an early stage.
“What can I do with all that? If you need to raise that down the track, you can,” he said.
Jones, who turns 84 years of age in April, was not required to appear in court and remains on bail.
The matter was adjourned for nine weeks to May 13 for further service of the brief of evidence.
It’s unlikely a trial will be heard before 2026.
Jones was charged in November after an eight-month investigation by a police strike force investigating a number of alleged indecent assaults and sexual touching incidents between 2001 and 2019.
The investigation has been headed up by child abuse detectives as one complainant was 17 when the incident allegedly occurred.
Jones vowed to fight the charges as he left court following his first appearance in December.
“These allegations are all either baseless or they distort the truth,” the one-time talkback king told a media scrum.
“I have never indecently assaulted these people.”
The additional charge announced on Friday means Jones now faces 35 charges relating to 11 people.
Some 33 counts allege sexual touching without consent and indecent assault, including 11 charges aggravated because the alleged victim was under Jones’s authority.
Two further charges allege common assault.
After a failed career in politics, Jones began a hugely influential life on the airwaves in 1985, becoming a feared interviewer who excelled at grilling leaders while dividing audiences with his outspoken, conservative views.
He worked with Sydney radio station 2UE before joining rival 2GB, where he was a long-time ratings juggernaut until his retirement in 2020.
Jones also coached the Australian national men’s rugby union team between 1984 and 1988 and his tenure included a number of historic achievements for the Wallabies.
Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).
