Alan Jones, the veteran Australian radio broadcaster, has been charged with two dozen offences of sexual and indecent assault.
The 83-year-old was taken into custody at his Sydney apartment early on Monday morning, according to the BBC.
Jones is a well-known Australian radio personality who has also worked as a political speechwriter and used to manage the Australian rugby union team.
Jones has been charged with sexually abusing seven men and a 17-year-old boy, reports said. Overall, he faces 24 charges over alleged incidents between 2001 and 2019, including 11 counts of aggravated indecent assault.
New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb was quoted telling reporters that the investigation will be “very complex” and “thorough,” and that she expects more victims to come forward in the coming weeks.
Jones, who has been granted conditional bail and will appear in court on December 18, has previously denied allegations of abuse published by The Sydney Morning Herald in 2023.
“Allegations have been made, nothing has been tested, nothing has been proven,” Jones’ lawyer Chris Murphy was quoted telling Australian media. “Alan Jones will assert his innocence appropriately in the courtroom.”
Through a decades-long career mostly working for local Sydney station 2GB, Jones has not been without controversy. He has previously been sued for defamation and was heavily criticized for saying someone should “shove a sock” down the throat of former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in 2019. He retired a year later citing poor health.