The high-profile trial of former broadcaster Alan Jones for indecent assault and sexual touching charges begins on Monday in Sydney’s Downing Centre local court and is expected to run for four months and hear from 76 witnesses.Judge Glenn Walsh will hear from six complainants who were allegedly indecently assaulted by the 85-year-old between 2003 and 2020.Jones is facing 22 charges at his judge-alone trial. They include 20 indecent assault and two sexual touching charges, the court was told in pre-trial hearings last month. In 2018 the offence of indecent assault was replaced by sexual touching, carrying a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment.The youngest complainant, who was 17 at the time of the alleged offending, is giving evidence in camera – presented in a closed courtroom – on Monday after the delivery of opening statements by the prosecution and the defence.Sign up for the Breaking News Australia email On Friday, Walsh knocked back an attempt by the defence to prevent media reporting the evidence of complainants.Jones’s barrister Claire O’Neill argued that under the criminal procedure act, in-camera evidence was not permitted to be published.
But Walsh did not agree, saying he wasn’t satisfied in-camera meant “a non-publication or suppression order”.
