Some sex crime charges dropped against former broadcaster, Wallabies coach
Some sex crime charges dropped against former broadcaster, Wallabies coach
The former Australian broadcaster and Wallabies coach Alan Jones had some of his historic sex crime charges dropped or altered in a Sydney court Thursday.
The 84-year-old is a household name across Australia and for years held immense sway through his conservative radio talk show.
He was arrested last year at his luxury Sydney apartment by detectives from a dedicated child abuse squad.
He faced 44 offences against several alleged victims between 2001 and 2019.
But on Thursday prosecutors changed several charges, including dropping 11 counts of aggravated indecent assault.
Jones now reportedly faces a total of 27 counts of indecent assault and sexually touching another person without consent.
Defence lawyer Bryan Wrench pleaded not guilty to the updated charges on Jones's behalf as the former radio host was not required in court, the national broadcaster ABC said.
Wrench said the changes were a "very big development" and "significant concession", the news outlet said.
The matter will return to court on November 11.
Jones, who remains on bail, previously denied the charges, saying he was "certainly not guilty" and was "emphatic" he would defend "every charge".
"These allegations are all either baseless or they distort the truth," he told reporters in December.
Jones said that prior to his arrest police had given him no opportunity to "answer any of these allegations".
"I have never indecently assaulted these people. The law assumes that I'm not guilty, and I am not guilty," he added.
Jones coached the Wallabies the Australian men's rugby union team for four years from 1984, was a speechwriter for a prime minister and taught at one of the country's most prestigious schools.
He guided the Wallabies to a rare northern hemisphere "Grand Slam" of Test wins over England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland in 1984.
In 1986, Jones led Australia to their first Bledisloe Cup win over New Zealand in 39 years.
His feats as a coach and administrator earned him a place in Australia's sports hall of fame, where he was inducted in 1989.
But it was Jones's subsequent career as a radio talkback host that cemented his influence in Australian public life.
At the height of his powers, politicians from both sides would scramble to stay friendly with right-leaning Jones and his hit radio show.
Jones retired from the show in 2020.
lec/oho/dh
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
