Alan Jones trial hears of ‘bizarre coincidence’ with complainant and Herald journalist

November 5, 2026 — 2:24pm

An alleged victim of Alan Jones declared to his wife days after he received a gushing birthday message from the former broadcaster that if Sydney Morning Herald investigative reporter Kate McClymont ever called him, he would tell her “everything”, a court has heard.

And the very next day, she did.

McClymont, whose reporting of the sexual assault allegations against Jones triggered a police investigation in 2024, described the coincidence during her third day in the witness box at his local court criminal trial.

Jones, 85, is standing trial on 19 counts of indecent assault and two counts of sexual touching without consent against five male complainants between 2003 and 2020. He has pleaded not guilty and denies that the alleged acts ever occurred.

McClymont was asked about a text message that complainant “C” told her he had received from Jones in 2023. It was the only text message he received from Jones that he showed to McClymont, who told the court on Wednesday that there was a reason for that.

She explained on Thursday that the man had received the “very gushing” message from Jones on his birthday four days earlier.

“He said to his wife, ‘If Kate McClymont ever rings I’m going to tell her everything’ and for some bizarre reason I ring the next day,” McClymont said.

Four years earlier, “C” had alleged to Herald columnist Peter FitzSimons that Jones had kissed and touched him non-consensually, while he was working on the then-2GB host’s personal staff.

FitzSimons had planned to put him in touch with McClymont, the court has heard, but “C” panicked before that occurred, and the interview never went ahead.

McClymont said she was never told “C”’s real name during his short period of contact with FitzSimons, and it was a “bizarre coincidence” that she happened to call him the day after he made the comment to his wife.

She had reanimated her investigation into Jones after receiving new information and another source had suggested she contact “C”.

Jones is charged with indecently assaulting “C” eight times over a five-month period by touching and kissing him without his consent.

The court has heard McClymont spoke to three of the five complainants at the centre of Jones’ trial, dubbed “C”, “A” and “H” to protect their identities, before police laid charges. She published a series of stories on Jones in late 2023 and early 2024. She told the court she gave her own statement to police about Jones in June 2024 – five months before his arrest – and another statement in September 2025.

Jones’ barrister, Gabrielle Bashir, SC, has suggested that the allegations against Jones were the product of “rivalry, treachery, double-dealing, money, hatred, desperation, opportunism and more”. FitzSimons was introduced to C by Jones’ stablemate and rival Ray Hadley, who had signed a secret contract to take over Jones’ prestigious breakfast slot only to have the offer rescinded when the station changed hands.

Earlier in the week, McClymont told the court her reporting on Jones was not driven by newspaper profits or online page views.

‘I just wanted to make sure it was accurate, he was happy with what had been said.’

Kate McClymont in court on Thursday.

She denied to Bashir that a quote set out in an article she wrote about “C”’s allegations did not reflect “the way it transpired in the interview”.

Under re-examination on Thursday, she said that a day or so before publication, she had sat down with “C” to allow him to review his quotes from the interview. “I just wanted to make sure it was accurate, he was happy with what had been said and if he was worried there was anything that might identify him,” she said.

“C” earlier told the court the former 2GB host bombarded him with “love-bombing” in texts in the lead up to the alleged incidents.

He said Jones first kissed him in the lift of the broadcaster’s harbourside apartment, but the “extraordinary” power imbalance stopped him speaking out as the alleged assaults continued.

He also testified that Jones touched him under the table on the penis over his clothing at a lunch in Sydney in front of other guests.

“C” alleged Jones also touched him in the car while he was driving the broadcaster.

During emotional testimony, “C” said that he felt regret every day that he “didn’t fight back or say ‘no’ louder, but you couldn’t”. “Alan was protected, he was the Golden Goose,” he told the court. “There was no way in the world I could have said anything to anyone.”

On Wednesday, the court was played part of a recorded interview between McClymont and the mother of another of Jones’ alleged victims, dubbed “A”.

In the call, the journalist said it was “brilliant” that police were involved and it would be “the nail in the coffin”.

McClymont denied Bashir’s suggestion that she was referring to “the nail in the coffin of Alan Jones”.

Police had said around the time of the call that they had received no complaints about Jones and were not investigating him, McClymont said, and someone coming forward saying they went to police was a “significant event” for her reporting.

The court has heard that “A” and his mother connected with McClymont after reading a story she wrote about Jones in late 2023.

“A” first spoke to police in 2018, the court has heard, but a formal investigation did not commence until years later.

The trial continues.

Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) or the Men’s Referral Service on 1300 766 491.

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