Australia’s veteran broadcaster and former rugby coach Alan Jones has been charged with alleged sexual offences spanning two decades.
Police in the state of New South Wales (NSW) said on Monday that Jones had been charged with 24 offences involving eight alleged victims.
The alleged offences, including 11 counts of aggravated indecent assault and nine counts of assault with act of indecency, took place between 2001 and 2019, NSW police said.
Police earlier said they had arrested an 83-year-old man, who they did not identify, at a property in the downtown Sydney neighbourhood of Circular Quay.
NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Michael Fitzgerald commended investigators for “their tenacity and hard work”.
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“Historical matters such as this are incredibly hard to investigate and bring before the courts and I again congratulate them on their ongoing investigation that will continue,” Fitzgerald told reporters at a news conference.
Fitzgerald said police will allege that Jones knew some of the alleged victims personally and some professionally.
Jones has been a fixture of Australian broadcasting since the mid-1980s, hosting influential shows on Sydney radio stations 2GB and 2UE and the TV network Sky News.
Jones, known for his conservative views, last sat behind the microphone in November last year while presenting his show on the streaming news channel ADH TV, which he joined after leaving Sky News in late 2021.
Before entering broadcasting, Jones worked as a teacher before transitioning into politics to serve as a speechwriter and adviser to then-Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser during the late 1970s and early 80s.
From 1984 to 1998, Jones was the head coach for the Australian men’s rugby union team, leading the side to 86 victories in 102 matches, including a “grand slam” of victories over England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.
Jones in December denied allegations of indecent assault and inappropriate touching after the Sydney Morning Herald published an investigation detailing claims that he had used his position to prey on young men.
In a statement at the time, Jones’s lawyer described the allegations as “scandalous, grossly offensive and seriously defamatory of him”.