Alan Jones wielded huge power, but now the legacy of his four-decade career will be decided by four months in court

Alan Jones’s trial in Downing Centre court in central Sydney will hear from 76 witnesses and is expected to attract intense media interest. Composite: Victoria Hart/Guardian Design

Alan Jones enjoyed his position at the top of media, political and sporting circles for the better part of four decades.

The former English master rose to be a successful Wallabies coach, a prime ministerial speech writer and a top-rating shock jock who was both courted and feared by the political establishment.