Top Australian radio host charged with sexually abusing eight males

Veteran Australian broadcaster and erstwhile Wallabies manager Alan Jones has been charged with sexually abusing 7 men and a 17-year-old lad implicit 2 decades, constabulary said.

The 83-year-old was taken into custody astatine his Sydney flat aboriginal connected Monday morning. He made nary remark to the media.

Detectives from the New South Wales Police Child Abuse Squad searched Jones’ harbour-front spot and seized physics devices.

He volition look successful a Sydney tribunal connected December 18 successful narration to 8 alleged victims, Assistant Police Commissioner Michael Fitzgerald said.

Former teacher Jones is 1 of the country’s astir influential media figures and has antecedently denied allegations of abuse, archetypal published by The Sydney Morning Herald successful 2023.

Fitzgerald told reporters: “In regards to the victims, we volition allege that the accused knew immoderate of them personally, immoderate of them professionally.

“And we’ll besides allege that immoderate of the victims erstwhile the alleged offence took place, was the archetypal clip that they ever met the accused.

“I privation to commend the victims and their bravery successful coming forward. [They] person present got the quality to person a voice. This is what they've been asking for.”

Jones present faces 24 charges implicit alleged incidents betwixt 2001 and 2019, including 11 counts of aggravated indecent battle and 9 of battle with an enactment of indecency.

He hosted 2GB’s fashionable Sydney meal vigor from 2002 and boasted 1 of the nation’s biggest audiences until helium retired citing wellness issues successful 2020.

Jones was besides a palmy manager of the Australian nationalist rugby squad for 4 years from aboriginal 1984. The squad won 86 of their 102 matches nether his leadership.

He was besides influential successful blimpish authorities and a speechwriter successful the seventies and eighties for Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser, who died successful 2015.

In 2012, Jones faced backlash for suggesting that then-PM Julia Gillard’s begetter had “died of shame”.

Seven years later, the DJ faced an advertiser boycott aft saying idiosyncratic should “shove a sock” down the pharynx of Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand’s person astatine the time.