Alan Jones hearing to last up to four months and include more than 100 witnesses

Alan Jones’ indecent assault and sexual touching hearing is expected to include more than 100 witnesses, begin next August and last up to four months.

The development, heard in court, came as his defence criticised the prosecution for “depriving” Jones of a jury trial.

The disgraced former broadcaster faces 27 sexual offence charges against nine complainants at public locations such as the Opera House and a lower north shore restaurant, as well as the 84-year-old’s various homes and former workplaces.

One year after Jones’ arrest, Sydney’s John Maddison Tower Local Court heard on Tuesday that he will wait another nine months to fight his 25 indecent assault charges and two sexual touching charges.

Magistrate Glenn Walsh listed the local court hearing for August 3 next year, allocating four months.

The Office of the Director of Prosecutions (ODPP) prosecutor Emma Curran earlier suggested it could take under two months, while Jones’ solicitor Bryan Wrench estimated four to six months.

Jones did not appear at court and was excused from attending. In September, Wrench formally entered not guilty pleas to all current charges on his client’s behalf.

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.

Earlier on Tuesday, Wrench told the court that he had written to the ODPP to ask them to “reconsider reversing” a decision for the matter to be heard before a local court magistrate instead of a jury in the higher District Court.

He said “they refused”, adding that he also asked “for full disclosure of all material in this matter”.

“We need to see all of the cards,” Wrench said.

“As of less than a week ago, we have received one folder of material,” Wrench told the court, before Walsh interrupted.

“I asked you one question – when can the matter get ready [for hearing], from your point of view?” Walsh said.

Wrench said that the Herald’s chief investigative reporter Kate McClymont had declined to provide any documents relating to interviews with witnesses, with Walsh responding that he could “subpoena her if you wish”.

When asked by Walsh how long he needed to resolve outstanding matters, Wrench said he first needed to know when the brief of evidence had “fully been served”.

“The DPP has refused to tell us whether or not the investigation is complete,” he said, adding they’ve “had two years to investigate” and Jones needed to “get all the documents before him so he knows the case to meet”.

“We expect to make our own inquiry of investigation to properly defend Mr Jones,” he said.

“While he has been deprived of a jury trial… We don’t want to deprive Mr Jones of a fair hearing.”

Earlier in court, the magistrate asked Curran how many witnesses were in the crown’s case, to which she said it “currently contains 139 witnesses”.

She added that the ODPP had made four attempts to obtain further details about Jones’ representation, so the parties could hold a case conference and attempt to reduce that number.

“As of today we have not been advised who counsel is, so no conference has been able to be held,” Curran said.

In September, new details emerged about Jones’ charges, shining further light on the alleged crime scenes and circumstances.

After initially being charged with dozens of offences, several were dropped or downgraded throughout his year-long legal process, with the number of complainants involved recently dropping from 11 to nine.

Court documents seen by this masthead shortly after Jones’ arrest at his luxury Circular Quay apartment outlined allegations such as fondling penises, stroking thighs, squeezing bottoms and pulling a man’s scrotum.

He was accused of committing the crimes at his former Newtown home, his harbourside apartment, his farm at Fitzroy Falls in the Southern Highlands, Tamworth in northern NSW, and other Sydney spots.

However, updated court documents seen by the Herald in September revealed further details.

They include alleging one complainant was assaulted five times at Jones’ Fitzroy Falls residence in 2004 by being kissed on the lips, having his robe undone and his underpants removed, Jones rubbing his penis against his own and touching and squeezing the complainant’s penis while masturbating.

That same man was allegedly assaulted while driving Jones to the Fitzroy Falls home and twice in Jones’ Sydney home in 2003.

In 2008, Jones allegedly assaulted a man three times at a Kiama restaurant, including having “stroked” him “on the front and back of his thigh on the outside of his clothing”, “patted” him “on the bottom on the outside of his clothing” and “pushed his body against the back of the complainant’s body, touching [his] penis on the outside of their clothing and pulling their penis”.

Also in 2008, Jones allegedly assaulted another man twice while being driven home from work, kissed him in the lift of his Sydney home three times and twice in the lift of his workplace, and touched his penis on the outside of his clothing at Gunners Barracks restaurant in Mosman.

In 2012, Jones allegedly assaulted another complainant at a Sydney function, touching and squeezing their bottom outside their clothing. Police say Jones “touched and grabbed” another man’s bottom at a Tamworth event in late 2013.

He is further accused of rubbing another man’s leg “up towards his crotch” during a performance at Sydney Opera House in 2014. Five years later, he allegedly touched another complainant “on the back and bottom” during a Sydney event.

Another man was allegedly assaulted in 2015 by being kissed on the corner of his mouth at a Sydney event, and again between 2018 and 2020 at Jones’ Sydney residence, when the broadcaster is accused of “pushing his body, including his genitalia, against the complainant’s upper inner thigh”.

Since his arrest, Jones has vigorously denied all allegations, earlier telling media outside court that he was “certainly not guilty” and would “be presenting my account to a jury” about the “baseless” or distorted allegations.

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

The matter will return to court next Thursday to determine prehearing legal arguments and dates.

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