Published: 00:42 BST, 5 August 2026 | Updated: 05:14 BST, 5 August 2026
A former athlete turned to Alan Jones for a reference after he had allegedly been indecently assaulted by the veteran broadcaster on multiple occasions, starting when he was a teenager.
The 85-year-old is facing the first week of a months-long Local Court hearing after he pleaded not guilty to 22 counts of indecent assault and sexual touching without consent.
Six men, who cannot be identified, allege Jones indecently assaulted or sexually touched them between 2003 and 2020 at locations across Sydney and the NSW Southern Highlands.
The first of the men to give evidence in Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court said he met Jones when he was 14 and a rising athletic star.
The former Wallabies coach gave him gifts ranging from a mobile phone to a car and a weekly stipend of up to $600 'as a gift' so he could focus on sport, the complainant said.
While he was grateful for the support, the athlete said he was also fearful because Jones subjected him to multiple non-consensual kisses and groping incidents over two years.
The support continued after the last alleged assault, with Jones continuing to make weekly payments that totalled more than $110,000 after nine years, the court was told.
Under cross-examination by Jones' barrister Gabrielle Bashir, the athlete revealed he had also leaned on the former talkback titan for a character reference.
Alan Jones is facing the first week of what is expected to be a months-long Local Court hearing after pleading not guilty to 22 counts of indecent assault
A complainant told the court Jones (pictured) gave him gifts ranging from a mobile phone to a car and a weekly stipend of up to $600 ‘as a gift’ so he could focus on sport
Jones (pictured with his legal team on Wednesday) has denied all of the allegations
He said he had been charged with a traffic offence and used the character reference provided by Jones – along with others – at his sentencing proceedings.
The athlete is set to be grilled on Wednesday by Ms Bashir, who opened her questioning by taking him to a number of news articles about Jones' arrest.
He rejected her suggestions that he wasn't being honest when he said he hadn't read newspaper reports about the former radio host from 2023, months before his arrest.