In 1975, The King’s School Headmaster Canon Stanley Kurrle received complaints from the housemasters that English master Alan Jones had usurped their authority and requested he be asked to leave.
Subsequently, for the following 50 years, journalists implied that Jones left the school because of inappropriate sexual behaviour towards the boys. In interviews with this writer, Canon Kurrle and Mrs Kurrle, King’s Pastor Brian Porter, who Jones shared a house, and several teachers, ridiculed that suggestion.
In his interview, Canon Kurrle said: “Housemaster after housemaster complained to me that they had lost the loyalty of the boys. It was constant. This was the major reason why Alan had to be encouraged to go. The housemasters ganged up. Finally, they came to me and said, “we can’t go on. He is wrecking the house system.” I explained to Alan that he had alienated too many of the housemasters and that there would be chaos if he didn’t leave.
“It tore Alan and I (sic) to pieces when we discussed him moving on. We worked our hearts out for his immediate future. I can remember talking to Doug Anthony who I think took him on straight away. There were never suggestions about homosexuality, and I never heard Alan swear and there were never any complaints that he swore.”
Reverand Porter said: “There were rumours about Mrs xxxx. I don’t believe it. I don’t believe any rumour that he is homosexual.”
In my interview with Brisbane Grammar Headmaster Max Howell, he said: “I haven’t seen any evidence he is homosexual. I think he is asexual.”
In 1988, Jones was arrested in a London toilet block and faced two charges. One charge was withdrawn and the other dismissed. As it transpired, none of the near identical official statements of the three arresting officers contained a single allegation of wrongdoing – a fact, no one has published. Res ipsa loquitur, if none of the three arresting police official reports contains an allegation of inappropriate behaviour, Jones should not have been charged with anything.
In October 2006, Allen & Unwin published Chris Masters’ unauthorised biograph of Jones. One hundred and three pages of the 454-page book contained unsubstantiated innuendo of sexuality and alleged inappropriate behaviour.
On 7 December 2023, SMH’s Kate McClymont wrote a lengthy article under the heading “‘He’d go the grope: Alan Jones accused of indecently assaulting young men.”
In March 2024, the sex crimes squad attached to NSW Police formed Strike Force Bonnefin in response to an investigation by the Nine organisation’s Sydney Morning Herald Kate McClymont and Peter FitzSimons and ‘chauffeured’ by Ray Hadley.
Alan Jones was arrested and charged by detectives from NSW State Crime Command’s Child Abuse Squad on 18 November 2024 with 24 offences against eight (8) victims, including:
- Eleven (11) counts of aggravated indecent assault against someone under his authority.
- Nine (9) counts of assault with an act of indecency,
- Two (2) counts of sexual touching
- Two (2) counts of common assault.
Police alleged the offences took place between 2001 and 2019 and claimed that the youngest complainant was 17 years old at the time. As it transpired, the police made a mistake with the dates and Judge Walsh allowed the prosecution to change the date to 2003.
Aggravated Indecent Assault is assault in circumstances of indecency which is aggravated because it is done in the company of another person or persons, the victim is under the authority of the alleged offender, or the victim has a serious physical disability or cognitive impairment.
An assault is any act which intentionally or recklessly causes another person to fear immediate and unlawful violence. It is not necessary that the complainant be physically touched.
An indecent act is one which right-minded persons would consider to be contrary to community standards of decency. The assault and the act of indecency do not need to be separate acts.
Aggravated Indecent Assault is characterised as a sex crime and has significant overlap with offences referred to as sexual assault.
Indecent assault in New South Wales involves an act of indecency committed by an individual who assaults another person. The act must be indecent, meaning it is contrary to the ordinary standards of respectable people in the community and must have a sexual connotation or overtone. The prosecution must prove that the accused knew the complainant was not consenting or acted recklessly as to whether consent was given. The maximum penalty for indecent assault is 5 years imprisonment and 10 years for aggravated assault.
Prior to the 1970s, consent was a fundamental issue for acts of sexual intercourse but not for kissing and other minor contacts. That changed so this case is a sexual assault case without any sexual acts, assault without any violence.
The number of complainants, charges and categories changed on several occasions prior to the commencement of the trial on 3 August 2026.
At its peak, there were 11 complainants and 44 charges including 11 counts of aggravated indecent assault. All 11 counts of the more serious aggravated indecent assault charges were dropped or downgraded
Surprisingly, given there were no eyewitnesses to the alleged offences, on 11 November 2025, the DPP indicated that 139 witnesses could be called. That meant Jones would have to have spent millions on his legal team investigating each witness and then cross-examining them.
At the commencement of the trial, there were six complainants, 20 charges ofassault with an act of indecency, two (2) counts of sexual touching and two (2) counts of common assault.
As we speak, there are five complainants and Jones is facing 21 counts of indecent assault and sexual touching in the NSW Local Court.