logo
Some witness statements ‘blatantly contradictory' to Alan Jones sexual assault allegations, court hears

Some witness statements ‘blatantly contradictory' to Alan Jones sexual assault allegations, court hears

The Guardian13-05-2025
Some witnesses have told police that Alan Jones did not engage in 'any sexual or inappropriate behaviour', the former broadcaster's lawyer has told Sydney's Downing Centre local court.
Jones was excused from Tuesday's committal hearing but his lawyer Bryan Wrench asked for an extension to allow the department of public prosecutions (DPP) to consider whether they want to go ahead with all the charges.
The 84-year-old has been charged with 35 historical sexual assault offences allegedly committed in various places in New South Wales, including Newtown, Sydney city, Fitzroy Falls, Alexandria and Tamworth. Jones is a former 2GB and Sky News Australia broadcaster.
Wrench said he received the brief of evidence from the DPP on Monday and some of the witness statements are 'blatantly contradictory to some of the allegations'.
'Some of the witnesses said they had never seen Mr Jones engage in any sexually inappropriate behaviour at all,' he said.
The DPP should consider 'whether this matter will be proceeding' Wrench said in a brief hearing before magistrate Daniel Covington.
Covington asked how many complainants were involved in R v Alan Belford Jones and the DPP said there were 11.
The ages of the victims are not disclosed in the charge sheets but police have said previously the youngest was 17 at the time of the alleged offence.
According to a court document made available to media in March, Jones allegedly assaulted his 11th victim by grabbing and squeezing his bottom in Tamworth in June 2013.
Wrench was granted an eight-week extension in agreement with the DPP.
He was arrested at his unit in Sydney's Circular Quay on 18 November last year after a 'long, thorough, protracted' investigation.
Jones appeared for the first time at the Downing Centre local court in December 2024, where it was confirmed he would face a jury trial and his lawyer said he would plead not guilty to the 34, now 35, charges.
Police set up Strike Force Bonnefin in March 2024 to investigate alleged indecent assaults and sexual touching incidents allegedly involving Jones, after they were raised by the Sydney Morning Herald's investigative reporter Kate McClymont.
Jones has denied all wrongdoing and said he was planning legal action against Nine newspapers for the 'demonstrably false' allegations.
According to the charge sheets seen by Guardian Australia, there were 11 alleged offences against one man, Complainant C, between 2008 and 2009, including touching his inner thigh, rubbing his penis and kissing him on the mouth.
Police allege Jones kissed another man 'using his tongue' at Fitzroy Falls in 2017, resulting in a charge of assault with an act of indecency.
In 2001, the broadcaster is alleged to have touched and fondled the penis of another man and on a separate occasion 'kissed him on the lips'.
Police allege in another case Jones stroked a man's right thigh, touched his bottom and 'touched his penis pulling his scrotum'.
In 2012 he is alleged to have 'touched and squeezed' the bottom of a man.
The matter has been held over until 8 July 2025.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Man (47) jailed for sexually assaulting his estranged wife while she was sleeping
Man (47) jailed for sexually assaulting his estranged wife while she was sleeping

BreakingNews.ie

time4 hours ago

  • BreakingNews.ie

Man (47) jailed for sexually assaulting his estranged wife while she was sleeping

A man who sexually assaulted his estranged wife on two separate occasions while she was sleeping in her bed with her young children has been sentenced to prison for four years. The 47-year-old father of two, who cannot be identified to protect the identity of his victims, pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual assault on his wife at their family home in Wicklow two years ago. Advertisement Detective Garda Catherine O'Rourke said the couple, who are both non-Irish nationals, had separated in January 2023 but they had both continued to live in the same house. The witness told a sitting of Wicklow Circuit Criminal Court that the accused entered his wife's bedroom without her permission where she was sleeping with their two very young children on the night of November 10th, 2023. Det Garda O'Rourke said the woman woke up at one stage and had the feeling she was being touched in some way. The woman said husband had remarked: 'Sorry, I was horny' after she found him leaning over her before telling him to get out of her room. Advertisement The court heard that he had digitally penetrated his victim who reported the matter to gardaí the following day. Det Garda O'Rourke said the woman also informed them that there had been another incident sometime earlier in March 2023 when she woke suddenly, while she was sleeping in bed with one of her children, to feel being touched on her skin under her nightdress. She said the woman had screamed at her husband to get out of the room when she realised he had been touching her bum. When arrested, Det Garda O'Rourke said the man claimed he had been in his wife's bedroom and had lifted his daughter and had gotten an erection as he had placed her back in the bed. Advertisement She agreed with Mr Kelly that the accused was in denial about his offending but had cooperated with gardaí. The court heard the defendant, who had six previous convictions for road traffic offences, only pleaded guilty after a trial had commenced last February as his wife was about to give evidence. In an emotional victim impact during which she broke down repeatedly, the woman said she felt very unsafe and violated after the two incidents but she had nowhere to go and did not think the authorities would believe her. The woman said her husband, from whom she has now filed for divorce, would not move out of the house after their separation. Advertisement 'He would be remorseful for a few days and then say he did nothing wrong,' she recalled. She said he would also accuse her of being difficult and dramatic and attempted to portray her as being promiscuous and a bad mother. The woman said the second assault had devastated her life forever with her children still asking questions about their father. She told the court that her main concern was to keep a family routine for her children despite her own personal feelings about their father. Advertisement The woman said she believed that after securing a protection order that it would protect her from any further attempt to hurt or scare her. 'I was very wrong,' she added before breaking out in tears. She said her ex-husband continued to act brazenly in the house which would leave her whole body shaking and feeling 'in survival moment every time.' The woman said she could no longer sleep in the bedroom where the assault took place and would have to make up an excuse for her children why she was sleeping on the floor of their room. The court heard that she stopped wearing make-up and nail polish and took to wearing long-sleeved clothing because she felt the need to hide and make herself invisible, while she also developed severe skin conditions from stress. The woman said she had to take extended sick leave from her job after breaking down hysterically after returning to work several weeks after the second assault. She described how she had developed thoughts of suicide and had made an actual plan to take her own life while her children were with their father. 'My children are the only reason I am still alive. They are the reason I didn't do it,' she observed. The woman also fought back tears as she explained her belief that her neighbours no longer invited her children on playdates because of gardaí calling to her house. After a period of living elsewhere for a period, the woman said her ex-husband had returned to the house in January 2024 without her permission and refused to find alternative accommodation. The court heard he subsequently began to live in his car which was parked in front of her house which made her feel she was under surveillance all the time. The woman said what happened had also caused her great financial difficulties. She again broke down as she explained how she tried to keep co-parenting her children after the assault for their sake, despite her not being able to talk to or be in the same space as her ex-husband. The woman said his conviction came as a 'massive relief' because she did not believe she would ever be truly remorseful for what he had done. Ireland Plans for Cork student accommodation on site of fo... Read More Judge John Martin sentenced the accused to four years in prison for the second sexual assault and 18 months for the first offence to run consecutively. However, the judge said he would suspend the final 18 months of the sentence on condition that the defendant keep the peace for a period of two years after his release from prison and have no further contact with his wife without her express consent. He said an aggravating factor in the case was how the accused had twice assaulted his wife in the same bed where his children were sleeping for his own 'gratification or power trip.' Noting the man was now on the sex offenders register, Judge Martin said his children were also secondary victims in the case, although he accepted the accused's expression of remorse as genuine.

Aussie café boss dubbed 'Pedo Bro' learns his fate after 'hours of collecting rape vids' in sick underground chat groups
Aussie café boss dubbed 'Pedo Bro' learns his fate after 'hours of collecting rape vids' in sick underground chat groups

Daily Mail​

time4 hours ago

  • Daily Mail​

Aussie café boss dubbed 'Pedo Bro' learns his fate after 'hours of collecting rape vids' in sick underground chat groups

A Sydney businessman who called himself the 'pedo bro' has been jailed after sending dozens of child abuse videos in an online group. James Terence Rebbeck, 40, was arrested at his Leichhardt home, in the city's inner west, in February 2024 as part of a NSW Police investigation into an international paedophile ring. The abhorrent criminal activity involved hundreds of men around the world filming each other watching child abuse material. Jimmy Rebbeck, as he is also known, was sentenced to three years' jail for soliciting, accessing, transmitting and disseminating child abuse material over 15 months in the NSW District Court. The businessman, who grew up on the state's South Coast, previously owned an inner-city Sydney cafe. He sent child abuse material to five users of the encrypted platform Telegram between November 2022 and February 2024, reported by The Sydney Morning Herald. Penrith District Court heard the 40-year-old also sent bestiality material to four people. In November 2022, Mr Rebbeck told a Telegram user he was 'devastated' because he 'lost f***ing everything' after 'hours of collecting rape vids'. Rebbeck asked if he could be added to 'pedo groups'. 'Pedo bro here is desperate,' he wrote. Police first became aware of Mr Rebbeck in April 2023 when they identified a Zoom meeting he was logged into. He was arrested months later and in his initial police interview he admitted to possessing child abuse material. Mr Rebbeck then handed over his pin codes and passwords to police. He pleaded guilty to four child abuse material charges. In court he was asked if he believed he had a sexual interest in children, which he denied and said the offending occurred due to heavy 'stimulant usage'. Jeremy Etkind, Mr Rebbeck's barrister, told the court his client was 'horrified' about his behaviour, but didn't remember it because of his drug use. The Crown prosecutor asked Mr Rebbeck: 'Is a risk you have a sexual interest in children?' He replied: 'I guess, if drugs are involved.' 'It's very easy for people to think 'I'm just looking at photos' but all the images are horrible and they're all real children,' Judge Robert Newlinds SC said. Mr Rebbeck was sentenced to three years' jail with his sentence partially suspended after 20 months on the condition he enter a recognisance of $100 without security. Strike Force Packer officers said the international paedophile ring in question was spread across Australia, Europe, Asia and the US. NSW Police Detective Superintendent Jayne Doherty said there were 'hundreds' of people allegedly participating in the video calls and exposing themselves. Tracing the children in the files is a 'top priority' said NSW Police.

Four men arrested after Brit tourist, 21, ‘filmed having sex in Greece before sharing video'
Four men arrested after Brit tourist, 21, ‘filmed having sex in Greece before sharing video'

The Sun

time6 hours ago

  • The Sun

Four men arrested after Brit tourist, 21, ‘filmed having sex in Greece before sharing video'

FOUR men have been arrested in Greece over allegations they filmed a Brit tourist having sex before sharing the video via their phones. Greek cops from Aktio-Vonitsa Police Station conducted the arrests yesterday in the Palairos area. 2 2 The 21-year-old tourist had reported the four men - all of whom are in their 20s - to the authorities following the alleged incident. She had been on holiday in the area at the time. The complainant said that, while she was having sex with one of the men, the other three filmed it and shared it using their phones, has reported. The four men are reported to be aged 20, 22, 23 and 26. A case has been filed against them for violation of personal data. They deny that they distributed the material and claim it was immediately deleted, according to reports. The men were arrested on Saturday, July 26. It comes after another Brit was allegedly raped in the sea off a popular Greek holiday island. The 16-year-old girl reported the alleged assault during a trip with her family. It is reported to have happened in broad daylight at Rhodes' Ialysos beach. The girl claimed she was sexually assaulted while swimming in the sea with a 15-year-old Belgian boy. She told officers the boy allegedly assaulted her in the water twice without her consent. Cops took swift action and arrested the boy at 10pm that same evening. A rape case was filed against him. Another British tourist was also allegedly raped on the Greek island of Corfu. A 19-year-old Italian man was arrested in connection with the incident.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store