Star Australian broadcaster faces trial for sexual assault

A star Australian broadcaster and former Wallabies coach fronted court on Monday to face trial on a raft of sexual assault accusations.

Alan Jones faced a local court in Sydney for the opening day of a trial that will examine allegations he indecently assaulted six young men across a stretch of almost 20 years.

The 85-year-old is a household name across Australia and held immense sway through his conservative radio talk show.

He was arrested at his luxury Sydney apartment in 2024 and now faces 20 charges of indecent assault and two of sexually touching without consent, court records showed.

The alleged offences took place between 2003 and 2020, local media reported.

Jones has strongly denied the charges, saying he was "certainly not guilty".

"These allegations are all either baseless or they distort the truth," he has said.

Jones was a speechwriter for an Australian prime minister and taught at one of the country's most prestigious schools.

He coached the Wallabies -- the Australian men's rugby union team -- for four years from 1984, guiding them to a rare northern hemisphere "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.

But it was Jones's subsequent career as a radio talkback host that cemented his influence in Australian public life.

At the height of his powers, politicians from both sides would scramble to stay friendly with right-leaning Jones and his hit radio show.