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Hello and welcome to our live coverage of former 2GB broadcaster Alan Jones’ indecent assault and sexual touching trial in the historic Downing Centre District Court in Sydney.
Today, The Sydney Morning Herald ’s chief investigative reporter, Kate McClymont, has been called to give evidence by the Crown.
Jones, 85, is standing trial on 19 counts of indecent assault and two counts of sexual touching without consent against five male complainants between 2003 and 2020. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and denies the alleged physical acts occurred.
All five complainants have now given evidence in court. The trial has heard McClymont spoke to some of the men when she was investigating allegations against the broadcaster, which culminated in a series of reports.
Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) or the Men’s Referral Service on 1300 766 491.
Kate McClymont agrees she met with NSW police on June 17, 2024, and signed a police statement about her articles about Jones on August 30.
She gave police her emails to Jones and any responses she had received from him and his lawyers, the court hears.
On November 18, 2024, McClymont wrote an article about Jones being charged with offences against a number of men.
McClymont agrees she spoke to complainant “H” on January 15, 2024, but did not publish allegations involving him until May that year. She agrees she spoke to “C” in September 2023.
Kate McClymont is in the witness box now. Prosecutor Georgina Wright, SC, is asking her some questions about her reporting on Alan Jones.
The Herald ’s chief investigative reporter agrees that in December 2023 she wrote an article about allegations made against Jones, and she sought comment from him before publication.
“By text message and by email,” McClymont said of the modes of communication she employed in seeking comment from Jones.
The court hears she received a reply from Jones’ lawyers.
The initial article was followed by a second article within days, McClymont agrees, and she sought comment again. Asked if she received a reply, McClymont said: “I think maybe from his lawyers.”
All five complainants in the trial have now given evidence. Prosecutors withdrew the sole charge relating to a sixth complainant during the trial , and a number of other charges were dropped before the trial started. The complainants have been given pseudonyms.
Kate McClymont, The Sydney Morning Herald’ s chief investigative reporter, is expected to give evidence about her interactions with three of the complainants as she investigated allegations about Jones.
This is the evidence given by the complainants. Jones denies the alleged physical acts occurred.
NSW Police set up Strike Force Bonnefin in response to the Herald ’s reporting about Jones in late 2023 and early 2024. Jones was arrested in November 2024.
McClymont is the fourth high-profile media figure to give evidence in the trial, following Jones’ former 2GB colleagues Ray Hadley and Jason Morrison, and Herald columnist Peter FitzSimons.
The evidence of Hadley, Morrison and FitzSimons was relatively narrow: they were questioned about their interactions with one of the five complainants in the case, dubbed “C”.
The court has heard that McClymont, who wrote a series of investigative reports about Jones from late 2023, engaged with other complainants while she was investigating allegations against the former 2GB heavyweight.
The court heard that “C” confided in Hadley in 2019 that Jones had non-consensually touched and kissed him over a period of several months nearly 20 years ago, when he worked as a staffer to Jones.
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of former 2GB broadcaster Alan Jones’ indecent assault and sexual touching trial in the historic Downing Centre District Court in Sydney.
Today, The Sydney Morning Herald ’s chief investigative reporter, Kate McClymont, has been called to give evidence by the Crown.
Jones, 85, is standing trial on 19 counts of indecent assault and two counts of sexual touching without consent against five male complainants between 2003 and 2020. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and denies the alleged physical acts occurred.
All five complainants have now given evidence in court. The trial has heard McClymont spoke to some of the men when she was investigating allegations against the broadcaster, which culminated in a series of reports.
Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) or the Men’s Referral Service on 1300 766 491.
