Kate McClymont questioned over ‘nail in the coffin’ and poo emoji texts at Alan Jones trial

Investigative journalist Kate McClymont has told a Sydney court that an audio recording in which she said new information would be “an absolute nail in the coffin” did not refer to “killing” Alan Jones.

In a phone call with the mother of the youngest alleged victim of Jones, which was played in court, the Sydney Morning Herald’s chief investigative reporter expressed excitement when the woman said her son had spoken to police in the same year as the alleged assault.

“This would be an absolute nail in the coffin that police were involved,” McClymont said in the call. “That’s just brilliant. Oh, I’m breathless.”

Asked by defence barrister Gabrielle Bashir SC if she meant it was a nail in the coffin of her client, McClymont said no.

“You meant the nail in the coffin of Alan Jones,” Bashir suggested.

“No,” McClymont replied.

“It doesn’t mean killing Mr Jones,” she said. “It is the nail in the coffin for the story.”

The court heard last month that Jones allegedly put his tongue inside the mouth of the schoolboy, known as complainant A, and touched him on the bottom when he stayed overnight at the former 2GB broadcaster’s Fitzroy Falls farm.

“I felt violated and I felt gross,” the witness, who began corresponding with Jones as a 13-year-old, said in the witness box.

A is one of five men who allege Jones indecently assaulted or sexually touched them between 2003 and 2020.

Jones has pleaded not guilty to 21 counts of sexual touching and indecent assault.

During her cross-examination McClymont said “nail in the coffin” referred to new information gleaned from complainant A’s mother.

She said after she published her investigation into Jones in December 2023, police had told her “we have received no complaints about Alan Jones and we have not looked at him”.

But when she spoke to the mother she discovered that her son did speak to police and it was a “significant event” for the story.

The court heard that McClymont was put in contact with the detective who had spoken to the-then teenager in the principal’s office at his school.

Bashir asked the journalist if she told the mother that both the NSW police minister’s office and the police sex crimes unit said that, should the case be re-opened, her son would not be identified because he was under 18.

The award-winning journalist agreed that she had sent A’s mother texts including: “All I wanted to say is Alan Jones is the subject of a police investigation!!!!” and “I hope the shit does hit the fan for him”, with two poo emojis.

McClymont replied: “Probably”.

The reporter agreed that she texted a contact from the police media team “Can hardly wait!” in reference to the impending arrest of Jones.

On the day of Jones’s arrest at his harbourside apartment in Circular Quay, McClymont texted her contact to clarify details, saying “beauty” when the arrest was confirmed.

The journalist agreed she provided a statement to police about Jones in June 2024 and continued to report because she had been given “no indication” that she would be a prosecution witness. She told the court she stopped reporting on the case when she was told she would be a witness at the trial.

McClymont will return to court on Thursday for a third day.

The trial before judge Glenn Walsh in the Downing Centre local court continues.