Alan Jones Prosecutors Win Bid to Expand Alleged Offending Date Ranges

Radio broadcaster Alan Jones faces an expanded date range for alleged indecent assault offences in his criminal trial after Judge Glenn Walsh allowed prosecution adjustments during proceedings in the NSW Local Court, according to court reports by Ethan Rix.

Charges and Prosecution Timeline Updates in the Alan Jones Trial

A plea of not guilty to 20 counts of assault with act of indecency and two counts of sexual touching has been entered by the 85-year-old. These charges relate to six alleged victims between 2003 and 2020. During the second week of the trial, prosecutors successfully argued to expand the timeframe for offenses involving the first complainant, known as Complainant J.

Initially, Crown prosecutors asserted that Complainant J was aged 18 or 19 when Mr Jones allegedly kissed and touched him during a visit to Fitzroy Falls, which is the NSW Southern Highlands property belonging to the broadcaster. Following conflicting witness timelines presented in court, prosecutors sought to expand the possible dates to any time between 2004 and April 2006. This adjustment means Complainant J may have been between 18 and 21 years old at the time of the alleged incident.

Witness Testimony and Defense Objections Over Timeline Inconsistencies

Legal teams clashed over the timing adjustments after the court heard conflicting accounts from Complainant J and his ex-girlfriend. At the time an emerging athlete, Complainant J could not recall the exact date of the conversation where he allegedly told his then-girlfriend that Mr Jones had been “touching” him. He said he thought the visit to Fitzroy Falls, where he alleged Mr Jones asked him to wear a “robe and nothing else” before kissing and touching him, was around 2004.

Conversely, testimony provided by his ex-girlfriend indicated that Complainant J visited her home immediately following the Fitzroy Falls excursion to report the alleged incident, which she placed in 2005 or early 2006. Defense barrister Gabrielle Bashir SC pushed back against the prosecution’s application to change the dates mid-trial, telling the court she had prepared and argued a case based on alleged offences happening in 2004.

“We were not asked to prepare a case in relation to those events at Fitzroy Falls happening in 2005 and 2006,” Ms Bashir told the court, pointing out that the prosecution had been aware of discrepancies in their witnesses’ accounts yet waited until the trial was underway to bring them up rather than addressing them initially.

Judicial Ruling on Offence Dates

Judge Glenn Walsh rejected the defense’s objections regarding unfairness, stating that he did not believe the time of alleged offences mattered much in this trial.

“The defendant’s case is that it doesn’t matter when it is said these things occurred, they never occurred,” Judge Walsh said. Noting that discrepancies in witness accounts regarding the timing of events are frequently encountered in summary hearings based on his background, he stated that he failed to perceive any unfairness resulting from the application.

The court also examined phone records regarding a mobile phone given to Complainant J. When confronted during cross-examination with Telstra records that contradicted his initial police statement claiming he received the mobile phone from Mr Jones while still a schoolboy, the complainant acknowledged that the device must have been provided after his school years ended, explaining that he was simply trying to recall past events accurately.

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