New South Wales police say they will this week try to speak to a person who made a complaint about Alan Jones to officers in 2017, after the police commissioner, Karen Webb, said last week that no complaints had been made about the broadcaster.
She made the comments during a press conference on Friday after allegations of indecent assault were published in the Sydney Morning Herald the day before. Jones has strongly denied the allegations and has threatened legal action.
“I’m informed at this stage no one has made a complaint to police but of course, if they do, we will take that investigation and fully investigate that matter,” she said on Friday.
But police have since said that a “previous victim” had made a complaint to police five years ago and the sex crimes squad had been informed on Friday afternoon. Although there was no current investigation into Jones, police said, efforts would be made to speak with that alleged victim this week.
According to a report in Monday’s Sydney Morning Herald, the complainant alleged that in January 2017 Jones “kissed him on the lips and placed his left hand on [the complainant’s] buttocks”. The complainant then reportedly pushed Jones away. The report goes on to say that despite making a complaint about the alleged incident to the police the complainant decided that “he didn’t want to pursue the matter” and that police respected that decision.
“Sex crimes squad were made aware early Friday afternoon that a previous victim of a matter reported to police in 2017 may be willing to engage further with police,” a spokesperson said. “That person is currently overseas, and investigators will seek contact with the individual this week.”
NSW police did not respond to questions about why Webb did not appear to know about this previous complaint when she spoke to journalists on Friday.
Jones has denied all allegations, including this latest one, and last week said he was planning legal action against Nine newspapers for the “demonstrably false” allegations.
“In the short time available since publication we have obtained substantial factual information which contradicts and refutes the alleged pattern of conduct by Mr Jones,” read the statement shared on Thursday behalf of Jones by his lawyers, Mark O’Brien Legal.
“We have retained Senior Counsel and have instructions to immediately serve a Concerns Notice under Section 12A of the Defamation Act as the first step in the commencement of defamation proceedings.”
Several men detailed allegations of indecent assault against Jones in the article by the veteran investigative reporter Kate McClymont, that he had groped or inappropriately touched them without their consent. Jones strongly denied the allegations via his lawyers.
Jones, once considered among the most influential voices in Australian media, was Sydney’s most popular breakfast radio presenter for several decades and grilled prime ministers and sports stars on the top-rating commercial radio station 2GB.
Allegations of indecent assault made against Jones would be “confronting for many 2GB listeners”, the station’s breakfast host, Ben Fordham, told listeners Thursday.
