Inside the first week of Alan Jones's trial

What court heard in week one of the case against Alan Jones Sat 8 Aug 2026 at 4:52am In a courtroom on level three of Sydney's Downing Centre, a man once considered among the most influential in Australian media has this week sat quietly in the public gallery, legs crossed, with a notebook and pen in hand. It is only a couple of kilometres from radio station 2GB's Pyrmont studios, where veteran broadcaster Alan Jones previously commanded the attention of scores of listeners every morning from behind a microphone. But this week, he was the one listening, sitting impassively as the first of six male complainants began testifying in his indecent assault trial. The former Wallabies coach and teacher has waited over 18 months for his day in court after vowing to defend charges he has described as either baseless or a distortion of the truth — 20 counts of indecent assault and two of sexual touching linked to allegations spanning almost two decades to 2020. After only its first week, the lengthy trial has already provided a rare glimpse into the 85-year-old's life, and the allegations plaguing it since they were reported in the Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) the year before his 2024 arrest. The prosecution argues Mr Jones either knew he did not have consent, or was reckless to the issue of consent, in relation to all of the charges. But his defence lawyers say media rivalries are partly to blame for the broadcaster's detractors, in particular 2GB host Ray Hadley, wanting to spread stories about alleged offending to "destroy" him. Defence counsel Gabrielle Bashir SC used her opening address to tell the judge that "rivalry, treachery, double dealing, money, hatred, desperation, opportunism and more" were at the heart of the case, and her client had endured a trial by media. Money, gifts and sexual touching A man dubbed Complainant J, the first witness, has told the court of meeting Mr Jones as a high school student and doing an interview. He testified that the broadcaster allegedly gifted him a phone when he was a teenager, paid the promising athlete $400 to $600 a week to "help with his training", and bought him a car. The court heard Mr Jones kept in contact with Complainant J, and the pair would see each other at the defendant's Circular Quay apartment and now-former property at Fitzroy Falls in the NSW Southern Highlands. Complainant J detailed a number of alleged incidents in 2003 and 2004 where Mr Jones kissed him with a "chomping" motion and sexually touched him, including on one trip to Fitzroy Falls, where it is alleged the broadcaster touched the man's genitalia several times, both outside and under his clothes. During a drive with Mr Jones prior to an increase in the weekly payments, he claimed Mr Jones told him he could have more money, because he had "been a good boy". "I thought if I told someone about what was happening, I would lose everything, the car he purchased me, the payments would stop," Complainant J said. He recalled a night at the Fitzroy Falls farm during which the broadcaster told him to have a shower and come out wearing "a robe and nothing else". He said his "heart was racing" as he sat on the couch next to Mr Jones, who he alleges rubbed his genitals. The court heard graphic allegations from Complainant J about further indecent assaults, including one where it was alleged Mr Jones and the complainant masturbated at the same time. Complainant J said it was a moment where he felt "trapped" and "completely frozen". At another point, he agreed to stay at Mr Jones's Circular Quay apartment and planned to "stand up" to him and tell him to stop, but remained disappointed in himself that he failed to do so. The court heard Complainant J's payments stopped in 2012 after he had received an estimated $110,000. Under cross-examination, he has denied reading SMH articles which included allegations against Mr Jones before he went to police in 2024, following the broadcaster's arrest. He agreed that his allegations were similar to those contained in the articles, but has denied the news reports formed a base for his own accounts. Claims of fabrication and false recollections Over nearly four days, Ms Bashir has challenged the witness's reliability during cross-examination. She has put to him that in 2024, he had lost his job as a police officer over a claim of misconduct, was under financial stress, and saw an opportunity for something "life changing" financially. "I think I've been very clear … I don't want anything from this," he replied. "If there is any opportunity to obtain finances for this or rewards I won't accept it …I don't want anything other than proper justice." Ms Bashir has accused him of "fabricating" claims of sexual touching, which he firmly denied. After the defence team produced documents about the registration of the car gifted to him and the date which the mobile phone service was connected, he conceded he could have had the dates wrong. "The [alleged] offences are very clear, but the timelines are always going to be difficult, considering how long it's been,"the witness said. He denied falsely recalling when he received those items to "fit a schoolboy narrative" in connection with the allegations. And he denied "recasting" the payments from Mr Jones as "something sinister" when they were, according to Ms Bashir, "anything but that". The witness agreed that Mr Jones was "unfailingly generous", supported him through his career and recognised his potential as an athlete from a young age. Ms Bashir put to him that "hugs and taps" were a common part of the "sporting world", and touches from Mr Jones were in the context of encouraging him to do his best. But Complainant J insisted there were occasions where Mr Jones said "I love you" passionately. 'I don't want any of his money' Throughout his evidence, Complainant J at times closed his eyes in an effort to replay memories and place himself in the moment he was recalling. Ms Bashir put to him that one of those moments was a "performance for the court", and that he was simply "trying to recount something that you have memorised". "No, I just recounted what happened," he replied. The court has seen messages between Complainant J and his former girlfriend, who he claimed to have briefly confided in when they were in a relationship many years before he came forward. In one message, after she made a statement to police, he told her, "Once it's all over, I promise to look after you." Again rejecting the idea of any monetary motive, the complainant denied the defence's suggestion that his message meant he intended to look after her financially. "I don't want to sue him [Mr Jones], I don't want any of his money." On Friday, Ms Bashir suggested parts of his account of one of the alleged Fitzroy Falls assaults, in a bedroom, were an attempt to humiliate Mr Jones with a "false narrative". "No, I'm recounting what happened," he replied. The trial, before Judge Glenn Walsh, continues next week and is expected to hear from more than 70 witnesses.