Ray Hadley testifies for third day at Alan Jones trial
Former Australian radio host Ray Hadley is giving evidence for the third consecutive day at the trial of 85-year-old Alan Jones, who is charged with indecent assault and sexual touching. Jones has pleaded not guilty to all 22 charges involving six alleged victims, ABC News Australia reports.
Hadley’s cross-examination
The trial is in its fourth week. Much of Hadley’s cross-examination concerns his strained relationship with Jones in 2018–2019. According to Hadley, at the time he signed a contract worth $4 million to replace Jones as host of radio station 2GB’s morning show.
During the hearing, text messages were examined in which Hadley called Jones a “parasite”, used a homophobic slur and wrote that Jones “needs to be destroyed”. Hadley also told the court that a 2GB colleague whom he described as a “double agent” informed him of Jones’s alleged request to staff to find compromising material on Hadley.
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Relationship between the hosts
Jones ultimately extended his contract as the morning show host and left 2GB in 2020. Hadley described their relationship as “turbulent” and did not dispute the defence’s suggestion that he felt animosity toward Jones. He said he was unhappy with him.
One of the alleged victims, identified in case materials as Complainant C, claimed that in 2008 Jones kissed him in a workplace lift and touched his groin several times. The court also heard that about 10 years later, he told Hadley about these allegations.
The allegations against Jones were first published by Sydney Morning Herald journalist Kate McClymont in December 2023. Hadley denied having a personal interest in the outcome of the case or encouraging Complainant C to make his allegations public in order to have Jones removed from the morning program.
