Alan Jones trial: Ray Hadley reveals secret $4m 2GB breakfast deal and explosive clash in Sydney court

WARNING: Graphic content

Radio veteran Ray Hadley has revealed in court that he signed a secret $4m-a-year contract to take over the 2GB breakfast slot from Alan Jones and how he unleashed an expletive-ridden spray at his then-station stablemate.

Mr Jones, 85, has pleaded not guilty to 20 counts of indecent assault and two counts of sexual touching, having denied the allegations made by six male complainants.

One man, who can only be known as Complainant C, has alleged Mr Jones grabbed his penis over his clothing while driving and at a Sydney restaurant and kissed him in the lifts at the 2GB studios and the ex-broadcaster’s Circular Quay home.

C told the court during his evidence last month that he tearfully confided his allegations about Mr Jones to Mr Hadley in October 2019.

Mr Hadley returned to the witness box on Tuesday and is being cross-examined by Mr Jones’ barrister Gabrielle Bashir SC.

‘Grub’

Mr Hadley has told the court that he would regularly refer to Mr Jones in colourful terms.

“Throughout 2019 you regularly called Mr Jones a grub, didn’t you,” Ms Bashir asked.

“I did,” Mr Hadley said.

“You used many derogatory names,” Ms Bashir asked.

“I did,” Mr Hadley replied.

Mr Hadley denied that he was enduring a “difficult” time because Mr Jones had been re-signed as breakfast host.

“Not at all, I maintained the same job I’d done for the previous 17 years and inadvertently Mr Jones had doubled my salary,” Mr Hadley said.

Ms Bashir suggested to him that he had been “dumped” from the breakfast slot.

“I was quite happy to be dumped,” Mr Hadley said.

‘C..t and a dog’

The court was told that in 2019 a 2GB staffer made an assault allegation against Mr Hadley, but he was cleared by CCTV.

He told the court that he was told that Alan Jones “marshalled the troops and said ‘dig up some dirt on Hadley’.”

The court was told that Mr Hadley told police he went into Mr Jones’ office and called him a “c..t” and a dog”.

“Yes, it would be something I’d say,” Mr Hadley told the court.

‘The money made me do it’

Mr Hadley told the court that in late 2018 and early 2019 he was offered the chance to take over Mr Jones’ breakfast show at the start of the next financial year, saying 2GB management offered to double his salary from $2m to $4m.

He denied the breakfast slot was the “pinnacle” of radio, pointing out his morning show was simulcast on 62 stations.

“No, the pinnacle was going from two to four million was my main motivation,” Mr Hadley said.

“I didn’t want to get out of bed at half-past one, but the money made me do it.”

He said he was approached by then-2GB owner John Singleton, who told him he had “had enough” of Mr Jones.

The court was told that Mr Jones was ultimately re-signed by 2GB in 2019 however retired in 2020.

Mr Hadley said his deal to go to breakfast because Mr Singleton was selling the station at the time.

He said Macquarie Radio executive Russell Tate told him that Nine – who was purchasing the station at the time – wanted Mr Hadley to remain on the breakfast show.

“They said, ‘If you don’t stand down, you’re going to cost Singo $80 million’,” Mr Hadley told the court.

“Well, Singo was a friend of mine.”

He said he agreed to stay on mornings and 2GB agreed to honour his $4m salary.

Only a handful of executives knew about his contract to take over breakfast, Mr Hadley said.

The alleged kisses

In the last of his evidence-in-chief, Mr Hadley told the court that C told him that Mr Hadley kissed him in two lifts.

“I recall there were two lifts mentioned and a home mentioned,” Mr Hadley said.

Mr Hadley testified on Tuesday that the man told him: “He put his hand on my c**k and kissed me.”

Mr Hadley said C told him Mr Jones kissed him in the lifts at the 2GB studios and grabbed him on the penis while driving in his car.

He said C alleged that Mr Jones touched him “on a regular basis”.

“I asked him if he was homosexual and whether he was consenting to it,” Mr Hadley told the court.

“He broke down and cried and said, ‘No, I hated it. I’m not homosexual’.”

Mr Hadley said C told him he was “embarrassed and ashamed that he allowed it to happen”.

He said C also told him Mr Jones had touched him under a table at a luncheon.

Mr Hadley said he offered to make a complaint to 2GB’s owners and management on C’s behalf or support him if he wanted to go to police.

He said C expressed that he did not want to come forward because he believed it would “ruin” his career because Mr Jones was “too powerful”.