Alan Jones trial: Ray Hadley says radio rival ‘targeted’ him

Ray Hadley has told a court Alan Jones “targeted” him and thought he was “disloyal” after he signed a secret $4m contract to take over the 2GB breakfast slot.

Mr Jones is standing trial in Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court having denied the allegations made by six male complainants and pleaded not guilty to 20 counts of indecent assault and two counts of sexual touching.

Mr Hadley, his former 2GB stablemate and fellow talkback giant, appeared in court as a key witness for the prosecution.

During his three days on the stand, he told the court of a meeting he had with one of Mr Jones’ alleged victims in October 2019.

During his at-times tense evidence to the court, Mr Hadley lifted the veil on his often-tumultuous relationship and bitter rivalry with Mr Jones.

One man, who can only be known as “Complainant C”, has alleged that Mr Jones touched his penis, over his clothing, while driving and at a Sydney restaurant and kissed him inside of lifts on several occasions.

The court has been told that C confided in Mr Hadley, with the ex-radio host telling the court that the man told him: “He put his hand on my c**k and kissed me”.

In the last of his cross-examination, Mr Hadley rejected an assertion by Mr Jones’ defence that he had lied during his evidence about his meeting with C.

“I reject that entirely,” Mr Hadley replied.

He was asked by Crown prosecutor Georgina Wright whether he harboured animosity towards Mr Jones in October 2019.

“I’d been targeted by Jones when he found out I’d signed a contract to take his position,” Mr Hadley told the court.

The court has previously been told that Mr Hadley signed a “secret” $4m contract to take over the 2GB breakfast slot in late 2018.

However, when the station was sold to Nine, it was decided that Mr Jones would stay on.

Mr Hadley told the court Nine agreed to honour the value of his contract, which doubled his salary.

Mr Hadley said while he never took Mr Jones’ position on breakfast, “I think (Mr Jones) was targeting me because he thought I was disloyal”.

Mr Hadley told the court that he and Mr Jones had a “complicated” relationship throughout their 30-plus-year working history.

Mr Hadley also sent warm messages to Mr Jones in late 2019 and mid 2020, the court was told.

Mr Hadley told the court that Mr Jones sent similar messages to him and his wife and “courtesy dictated” that he reply in kind.

“Our relationship was very complicated, we went from being very close to very distant,” Mr Hadley told the court.

He further told the court that he owed “a lot” of his success to Mr Jones, who hosted the 2GB breakfast show that led into his morning show.

“I’m appreciative of what he did for me,” Mr Hadley said.

One man, who was said to be at the event where Mr Jones is alleged to have indecently assaulted C, told the court on Thursday that he could not recall the lunch.

Mr Jones denied groping C under the table or that any physical contact occurred, his defence previously told the court.

Several witnesses have told the court that the man was present at the lunch.

However, the man told the court on Thursday that he did not remember attending a lunch at the venue.