Sydney, Australia
Reuters
—

Australian police on Monday charged former radio talk show host Alan Jones with 24 counts of sexual assault and battery, indictments that followed newspaper allegations that Jones had molested young men for decades.

Police have confirmed the arrest and charges against an 83-year-old Sydney man, but have not named him.

He was widely identified by Australian media as Alan Jones and TV footage on Monday showed him in a police car arriving at a police station.

Police allege the offenses took place between 2001 and 2019 against 8 victims, some of whom Jones knew professionally or personally. The youngest was 17 at the time of the crime, they said.

More alleged victims are likely to come forward now that charges have been laid, New South Wales Police Assistant Commissioner Michael Fitzgerald told a news conference.

Reuters has sought comment from Jones. He denied assault allegations made against him last year by the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper. Police said the “energy” generated by the stories helped bring the case to court.

Jones has hosted radio shows for decades and anchored the popular Sydney breakfast show on Radio 2GB for around 18 years until 2020.

A well-known conservative “shock game,” listeners knew Jones for his pointed questions and equally sharp tongue. In 2019, he said then-prime minister Scott Morrison should give his then-New Zealand counterpart Jacinda Ardern “a few whacks” and “put a sock down her throat” over her views about climate change.

Jones has faced several defamation lawsuits. After leaving 2GB, he worked on a digital start-up but has not been on air since the Sydney Morning Herald allegations were made.