Published: 00:42 BST, 5 August 2026 | Updated: 05:14 BST, 5 August 2026<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Under cross-examination by Jones' barrister Gabrielle Bashir, the athlete revealed he had also leaned on the former talkback titan for a character reference.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
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 \u2018as a gift\u2019 so he could focus on sport<\/p>\n
Jones (pictured with his legal team on Wednesday) has denied all of the allegations\u00a0<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n