### Retired Sydney Broadcaster and Ex-Rugby Coach Alan Jones Faces Multiple Sex Crime Charges

SYDNEY (AP) - Alan Jones, a former Sydney radio broadcaster and ex-coach of the Australian national rugby team, has been charged with multiple sex crimes, reportedly committed over the span of nearly two decades. The 83-year-old Jones is facing 24 charges connected to offenses involving eight alleged victims from the period between 2001 and 2019, according to police statements.

The charges, which include 11 counts of aggravated indecent assault and nine counts of assault with an act of indecency, were announced by Assistant Police Commissioner Michael Fitzgerald. Among the accusations are two charges of sexual touching and two counts of common assault. The investigation revealed that the youngest victim was 17 at the time of the first alleged offense.

"In regards to the victims, we will allege that the accused knew some of them personally, some of them professionally," Fitzgerald said during a press briefing. "And we'll also allege that some of the victims, when the alleged offense took place, was the first time that they ever met the accused."

Jones, who was arrested at his waterfront apartment in Sydney on Monday morning, has refrained from making any public comments regarding the accusations. His lawyer, Bryan Wrench, has yet to issue a formal response to the charges.

Jones is set to appear in a Sydney court on December 18. The allegations surfaced following an investigation initiated by police after The Sydney Morning Herald published a report last December. The report claimed that Jones had exploited his positions of power — initially as a school teacher and later as a broadcaster — to target young men.

Jones was a prominent figure in Australian media, hosting a widely listened-to breakfast radio show from 2002 until his retirement in 2020. He was also influential in conservative politics and served as a speechwriter for Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser, who governed Australia from 1975 until 1983.