SYDNEY: Famed Aust­ralian broadcaster and former Wallabies coach Alan Jones was charged on Monday with a string of alleged historical sex crimes, police said, after an investigation into the conservative radio shock jock.

The 83-year-old is a household name across Australia and for years held immense sway through his top-rating radio talk show.

In a colourful career he has also coached the national men’s rugby team, been a speechwriter for an Australian prime minister and taught at one of the country’s most prestigious schools.

Detectives from a dedicated child abuse squad arrested Jones on Monday while executing a search warrant at his luxury Sydney Harbour apartment.

He has been charged with 24 offences against eight alleged victims spanning between 2001 and 2019, New South Wales Police said.

This included 11 counts of aggravated indecent assault against people that had been employed by Jones.

Jones has strenuously denied prior allegations of indecent assault which surfaced in the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper late last year.

Published in Dawn, November 19th, 2024