Alan Jones’ Legal Team Withdraws Latest Bid to Delay Trial

The trial of former breakfast radio host Alan Jones, who faces multiple indecent assault and sexual touching charges, is set to begin on Monday, August 3. This comes after his legal team withdrew an application to delay the proceedings, telling the court Jones is “anxious to have his day in court”.

The withdrawal was announced today when the case returned to Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court. During the pretrial hearing, Jones’ defence barrister Gabrielle Bashir insisted they would no longer pursue a motion seeking a temporary stay of the trial.

“We want to start on August 3,” Bashir stated. “I think all of the parties are moving for that to happen.” 

The Stay of Alan Jones’ Trial Had Relied On Improperly Prepared Evidence

Initially, the stay had concerned evidence obtained from electronic devices seized by police during a search of Jones’ home in November 2024. The defence had argued that until prosecutors had sufficiently identified the material “by reference to items, dates and times”, the trial should be halted or this evidence be rendered inadmissible.

Notably, this was not the first delay imposed on the trial by the defence. In early March, Bashir had told Bankstown Local Court that a stay was in order due to the defence still waiting on “oodles of material”.

However, in a surprise retraction, Bashir retracted this latest stay application, telling the court that the prosecution’s failure to identify the evidence could instead be dealt with during the trial. 

Ahead of Monday’s trial, Jones has pleaded not guilty to 22 charges of indecent assault and sexual touching involving six complainants. The allegations span from 2003 to 2020 and relate to incidents alleged to have occurred at several locations including his Sydney harbourside apartment, his property at Fitzroy Falls in the Southern Highlands, and a restaurant on Sydney’s lower North Shore.

In court documents acquired by the Sydney Morning Herald, Jones is alleged to have squeezed complainant’s bottoms, groped genitals, pulled one man’s scrotum, and masturbated during an alleged indecent assault.

In a pre-trial ruling last week, Judge Glenn Walsh ruled that prosecutors could rely on tendency and coincidence evidence, allowing the prosecution to argue Jones’ alleged inappropriate behaviour toward young men was a pattern of behaviour.  

The prosecution is expected to call at least 76 witnesses during the trial, which is scheduled to continue until as late as December.