Alan Jones trial stymied by last-minute delay

Former talkback titan Alan Jones’s hearing over indecent assault and sexual touching allegations has been delayed to allow a legal argument to take place.

The 85-year-old former ruler of Sydney’s airwaves looked calm entering Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court on Wednesday wearing a crisp blue blazer and charcoal pants.

He wore the same expression when he walked out less than two hours later, having learned the hearing was adjourned until Thursday due to a legal issue.

Jones has pleaded not guilty to 22 charges of indecent assault and sexual touching without consent against six men, who cannot be identified for legal reasons.

The men allege the longtime shock jock kissed, groped or subjected them to sexual misconduct between 2003 and 2020 across Sydney and the NSW Southern Highlands.

An ex-girlfriend of one of the complainants - an athlete who alleges he was repeatedly indecently assaulted by Jones - was expected to continue providing evidence on Wednesday.

But she was excused for the day, so a legal argument could occur between the prosecution and Jones’s legal team.

The ex-girlfriend is set to return to the witness box on Thursday, followed by the athlete’s mother and former coach.

She previously told the court the athlete had come to her house immediately after staying the night at Jones’s property in the NSW Southern Highlands.

His then-girlfriend observed he couldn’t look her in the eye and kept his head down, looking uncomfortable and unlike his normal self.

“It was like he’d seen a ghost,” she recalled on Tuesday.

Jones is accused of indecently assaulting the athlete six times while in the NSW Southern Highlands, including while the younger man was driving them to their destination.

“Alan Jones touched me inappropriately,” the athlete allegedly told his girlfriend after leaving the property.

When she asked if he wanted to report it, she said she received “a very firm no” in response.

“You can’t tell anybody about this,” she said the athlete informed her aggressively.

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Jones is accused of indecently assaulting the athlete a total of nine times, all of which the former Wallabies coach has denied.

The court is set to hear from five more men who allege Jones indecently assaulted and sexually touched them at a time when he dominated Sydney’s airwaves, winning the breakfast slot a record 226 times.

During his 35 years as a radio presenter, Jones became a feared interviewer capable of grilling leaders while sharing his outspoken, conservative views across the country.

Jones’s hearing is in its second week and is slated to run for four months, with more than 70 witnesses expected to be called.

AAP