The Sydney Morning Herald’s chief investigative reporter told the mother of a man who has accused Alan Jones of kissing him non-consensually when he was a teen that it was “brilliant” that police were involved and it would be “the nail in the coffin”, a court has heard.
asserted
court → tell → coffin
Kate McClymont, whose reporting on Jones triggered a police investigation into the former 2GB broadcaster, returned to the NSW Local Court witness box on Wednesday for a second day of evidence in his criminal trial.
asserted
reporting → trigger → 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.
asserted
Jones → stand → 2003
He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and denies the alleged physical acts occurred.
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acts → plead → charges
McClymont has testified that she spoke to three of the men who would later become complainants in the trial, now known as “C”, “A” and “H”, between late 2023 and early 2024.
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who → testify → 2023
The chief investigative reporter gave a statement about Jones to police in June 2024.
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reporter → give → June
The court has heard that “A” and his mother connected with McClymont after reading a story she wrote about Jones in late 2023.
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she → hear → 2023
“A”, now a doctor, has alleged Jones kissed him non-consensually when he was 17.
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he → allege → him
“A” first spoke to police in 2018, the court has heard, but a formal investigation did not commence until years later.
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investigation → speak → 2018
During cross-examination on Wednesday by Jones’ barrister, Gabrielle Bashir, SC, McClymont was played a clip from her recorded conversation with the mother of “A” in December 2023.
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McClymont → play → December
The woman gave McClymont an account of her son’s allegation, the court heard, including that police were involved.
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police → give → allegation
“This would be an absolute nail in the coffin that the police were involved,” McClymont said in the call.
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McClymont → involve → call
“That’s just brilliant.
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That → ’ → ?
Bashir put to McClymont: “You meant the nail in the coffin of Alan Jones.”
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You → put → Jones
“No,” McClymont replied.
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McClymont → reply → ?
Bashir pressed that McClymont was saying that it was a nail in the coffin that police were involved in the allegation of “A” about Jones.
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police → press → Jones
McClymont disagreed, saying police had said around the time of the call that they had received no complaints about Jones and were not investigating him.
“The fact that someone has come forward and said, ‘we went to police’ … as far as the story goes, this is a significant event”, McClymont said.
asserted
McClymont → disagree → police
“It doesn’t mean killing Mr Jones.
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It → mean → Jones
On December 12, 2023, McClymont said in a WhatsApp message to “A”: “And if police do re-open the investigation, please let me know.
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me → say → investigation
Bashir also took McClymont to text messages she sent the mother of “A” on March 19, 2024, starting with: “All I want to say is Alan Jones is the subject of a police investigation!!!!”
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Jones → take → investigation
Bashir asked McClymont if she also texted the mother later that day, “I hope the shit does hit the fan for him!” followed by a smiley face and “two poo emojis”.
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shit → ask → face
“Probably,” McClymont said.
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McClymont → say → ?
She agreed after being shown a copy of the messages.
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She → agree → messages
McClymont agreed that her December 2023 articles reporting allegations against Jones “generated massive interest for The Sydney Morning Herald”.
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articles → agree → Herald
She also agreed it was fair to say “media channels were saturated” in December 2023 and again in November 2024, after Jones’ arrest, with the allegations that she was the first to report about Jones.
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she → agree → Jones
McClymont agreed that “H” contacted her in January 2024 and told her about an alleged incident at an event in Sydney that he described as “not a big deal”.
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he → agree → deal
He alleges the then broadcaster placed his hand on the top of his back at the event and “went slowly down my back and then rested it on my bottom”.
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broadcaster → allege → bottom
Bashir put to McClymont that she suggested to “H” that Jones was using his position of power to get what he wanted, and the complainant “adopted that”.
uncertain
complainant → put → that
McClymont agreed.
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McClymont → agree → ?
She published his allegation in an article in mid-2024, the court heard.
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court → publish → mid-2024
“I said I wouldn’t use his name [or organisation],” McClymont said.
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McClymont → say → name
She said “H” did not tell her not to use what he told her, nor did he say that it was “off the record”.
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it → say → record
“He didn’t complain to you that his account had been published, did he?” Bashir asked.
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Bashir → complain → you
“No,” McClymont said.
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McClymont → say → ?
She said she passed on to “H” the contact details of one of the detectives investigating Jones.
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she → say → Jones
“He gave me permission to release his name to police,” McClymont said.
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McClymont → give → police
The court has heard that McClymont declined in September 2025 to provide transcripts or recordings of her conversations with complainants to police because they were confidential sources.
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they → hear → police
She was later subpoenaed for this material, the court heard.
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court → subpoena → material
McClymont was also asked by Bashir about messages she received from Erin Bouda, then a NSW Police media spokesperson, starting on November 15, 2024.
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she → ask → November
Jones was arrested on November 18, the court heard.
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court → arrest → November
…and 16 more, not listed.
The Aporia
