Australian veteran broadcaster arrested over alleged sexual offences

Radio host Alan Jones previously denied allegations of indecent assault aired by local media.

Australia’s veteran broadcaster and former rugby coach Alan Jones has been arrested following an investigation into alleged sexual offences spanning two decades, local media outlets have reported.

Jones, 83, had 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, who is 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.

In a statement on Monday, police in the state of New South Wales said detectives from a dedicated child abuse squad arrested an 83-year-old man at a property in the downtown Sydney neighbourhood of Circular Quay.

New South Wales police said the arrest followed the establishment of a strike force in March to investigate alleged “indecent assaults and sexual touching incidents” between 2001 and 2019.

Police did not name the arrested man.

NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said at a news conference that the arrest followed a “very complex and protracted” investigation.

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”.

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Al Jazeera and news agencies