Sex abuse charges against top Australian radio host downgraded

Alan Jones, 84, has pleaded not guilty to 27 charges

Prosecutors have downgraded some of the most serious sex abuse charges against veteran broadcaster and former Wallabies coach Alan Jones after a court hearing on Thursday.

Mr Jones now faces 27 charges which allege that he indecently assaulted or groped nine men over two decades.

Eleven charges of aggravated indecent assault - deemed more serious as they allegedly related to people under his authority - were downgraded on Thursday. Some charges were also dropped altogether.

The influential 84-year-old media figure has denied all charges and the case - which will now be heard before a magistrate, not a jury - will return to court next month.

Deputy Chief Magistrate Sharon Freund said there was a reformation of the case after two alleged victims withdrew, though there was no explanation as to why they were no longer part of the case.

Mr Jones now faces 25 counts of indecent assault and two counts of sexual touching.

His lawyer Bryan Wrench told the court the dropped charges was a "very big development" and "significant concession," according to the reports from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

"There is no suggestion that... he had these complainants in his authority. He did not have any power over these complainants," Mr Wrench said.

Police have previously said some of the alleged victims knew the radio titan personally, and that at least one had been employed by him.

Others were allegedly assaulted the first time they met him, NSW Police's Michael Fitzgerald told reporters late last year.

Speaking to journalists outside court in December, Jones told reporters the allegations were either "baseless" or "distort the truth".

A former teacher, Mr Jones coached Australia's national rugby union team between 1984 and 1988, before pivoting to a radio career.

He also, at times, worked as a speechwriter and advisor for Liberal Party figures - including former Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser - and launched several failed bids to represent the party in both state and federal politics.

A staple of Sydney airwaves on local station 2GB for decades, Mr Jones juggled those duties with TV commentary gigs before he retired from full time work in 2020 citing health issues.

The broadcaster is a polarising figure, for years boasting one of the nation's biggest audiences but often courting controversy.

He made headlines in 2012 for suggesting that then-Prime Minister Julia Gillard's father had "died of shame", and in 2019 faced a massive advertiser boycott after saying someone should "shove a sock" down the throat of New Zealand's leader at the time, Jacinda Ardern.

Mr Jones has also been successfully sued for defamation many times.