Alan Jones’s lawyers have “grave concerns” about the legality of a search of the former broadcaster’s phone conducted by police on 18 November before he was charged with 35 historical sexual assault offences.
Jones is on bail and was excused from Tuesday’s hearing at Sydney central local court but his lawyer, Bryan Wrench, complained about the police download of Jones’s phone.
“We then wrote to the police regarding our concerns about a search conducted on the 18th of November,” Wrench told the court. “The legality, journalistic privilege, as well as issues regarding legal privilege.”
As a result of this legal complaint to the New South Wales police, the force had engaged lawyers, Wrench said.
The 84-year-old has allegedly committed a range of offences in various places in NSW, including Newtown, Sydney city, Fitzroy Falls, Alexandria and Tamworth. Jones is a former 2GB and Sky News Australia broadcaster.
In a brief hearing before magistrate Jennifer Giles, Wrench said he also had an issue with an apparent delay in providing the defence with the entire brief of evidence, and accused the prosecution of not meeting its duties of disclosure.
Since the last hearing in May, the defence had received more witness statements, which Wrench said he was “quite concerned about” because the prosecution had had them since November and December, but only just provided them.
This is not “a selective prosecution” and “they have to give us everything”, Wrench said.
Wrench asked on Tuesday for an extension of the charge certification process, which was granted and will now be heard on 18 September.
The prosecutor will review the evidence and confirm the charges by that date.
In total, Jones is facing 11 counts of aggravated indecent assault, 20 counts of assault with act of indecency, two counts of sexually touching another person without consent and two counts of common assault.
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.
He last appeared in court in December, when it was confirmed he would face a jury trial on the charges.
“I am certainly not guilty, and I’ll be presenting my case to a jury, as you heard this morning,” he said.
“I want you to understand this, these allegations are all either baseless or they distort the truth. And you should know that prior to my arrest I was given no opportunity by police to answer any of these allegations.”
