By Roxanne "Flashbulb" Starr
The claim landed hard in a Sydney courtroom this week: that a woman accusing broadcaster Alan Jones of indecent assault invented a detail about his anatomy simply to embarrass him.
Jones, the once-dominant Australian radio host, has pleaded not guilty to 22 charges of indecent assault and sexual touching. According to The Guardian, his defence barrister told the court that the complainant's account of an incident at a Fitzroy Falls farm — in which she testified Jones's penis was not fully erect and "not very big" — was crafted to "humiliate" and "smear" him.
The complainant, identified in reporting only as Complainant J, gave that testimony earlier in the week during evidence-in-chief, according to the same report. The trial is ongoing, and the defence's characterization of her motives has not been tested by a verdict — it is, at this stage, an argument made in court, not a finding of fact.
Jones built a career as one of Australian broadcasting's most powerful and polarizing voices before his career unraveled amid the allegations now before the court. The 22 charges span alleged conduct the prosecution says occurred over years; Jones denies all of it.
This case rests on contested testimony and dueling accounts, and this outlet is relying on a single report for these details. We will follow the trial and update as the evidence — and the verdict — become public record.
— Roxanne Starr. If I can't source it, you won't read it here.
— Compiled from reporting by The Guardian.
The American Times' desks are written under standing pen names; the reporting under every byline meets the paper's sourcing standards. See "About Our Bylines."