CRIME: RETIRED 83-YEAR-OLD AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTER CHARGED WITH SEX OFFENCES

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Police claimed that following an investigation into the conservative radio shock jock, renowned Australian broadcaster and former Wallabies coach Alan Jones was charged on Monday with a number of alleged historical sex crimes.

The 83-year-old is well-known throughout Australia and had enormous influence for many years thanks to his highly regarded radio talk program.

He has had a varied career that includes teaching at one of the most prominent institutions in the nation, coaching the national men’s rugby team, and writing speeches for an Australian prime minister.

The 83-year-old is well-known throughout Australia and had enormous influence for many years thanks to his highly regarded radio talk program.

“We will allege that the accused knew some of them personally. Some of them professionally,” state crime commander Michael Fitzgerald told reporters.

The youngest victim was 17 years old at the time of the alleged offence, Fitzgerald said.

“I wish to commend the victims and their bravery in coming forward.

“They are fully aware, as are the investigators, that the hard work is just beginning.”

Whether as a sports coach, aspiring politician, or radio heavyweight, Jones has spent decades in the public eye.

He rose to fame while coaching the Australian rugby side in the 1980s, leading the Wallabies to a rare “grand slam” over England, Wales, Ireland, and Scotland.

His feats as a coach and administrator earned him a place in Australia’s Sports Hall of Fame, where he was inducted in 1989.

However, Jones’ subsequent career as a radio talkback host cemented his influence in Australian public life.

At the height of his powers, politicians from both sides scrambled to stay friendly with Jones, who was right-leaning and had a hit radio show.

“Over 36 years, Alan Jones became one of the most powerful, divisive, and socially destructive voices the Australian media has ever produced,” academic Denis Muller wrote in 2021.

An Australian tribunal found that in 2005 Jones had incited hatred of Lebanese Australians, fuelling racially charged riots in Sydney.

He retired from his radio show in 2020.

Jones made several unsuccessful tilts throughout his career to win a seat in the Australian Parliament.

AFP