Ray Hadley’s long-running rivalry with fellow Australian broadcaster Alan Jones was laid bare in court this week, with messages describing Jones as a “parasite” and saying he “needs to be destroyed” read during the veteran broadcaster’s criminal trial. ([abc.net.au](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09-02/radio-host-ray-hadley-continues-evidence-at-alan-jones-trial/107104158))
Hadley, the retired 2GB host, was giving evidence at the NSW Local Court trial in Sydney, where Jones denies 22 charges of indecent assault and sexual touching involving six men.
The court heard that Hadley had maintained a close relationship with one of the complainants, known as Complainant C, who allegedly told him in 2019 that Jones had kissed him and touched his crotch without consent. Jones’s defence denies the allegations.
Hadley said the man became distressed while recounting the alleged incidents and told him he had hated what happened but feared speaking out because Jones was too powerful and disclosure could damage his career.
The broadcaster said he offered to raise the matter with police, Jones’s management or the chairman of the radio station, but the complainant declined. Hadley later gave a statement to police in June 2024, after the allegations had been published by Sydney Morning Herald investigative journalist Kate McClymont in December 2023. ([abc.net.au](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09-01/nsw-alan-jones-trial-ray-hadley-evidence/107097694))
Radio rivalry under scrutiny
Jones’s barrister, Gabrielle Bashir SC, has argued that the prosecution case was shaped by professional hostility, money and a struggle for control at 2GB. She told the court that Hadley had wanted to bring down his former colleague and that the complainant’s allegations provided an opportunity to do so.
The court heard Hadley had signed a secret contract worth $4 million to take over Jones’s breakfast programme in 2019, although the agreement was never implemented and Jones later renewed his own contract. Hadley rejected the suggestion that he had been driven by a desire to seize the position. ([abc.net.au](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09-01/nsw-alan-jones-trial-ray-hadley-evidence/107097694))
Under cross-examination, Hadley accepted that he had harboured animosity towards Jones and had probably used highly derogatory language about him. A series of text messages also showed him saying he would not rest until Jones was buried, “figuratively speaking or literally”, and that the story about the allegations had been “50 years in the making”.
Hadley denied encouraging Complainant C to go to police or pushing him to make allegations in order to remove Jones from the breakfast programme. He said his message that Jones “needs to be destroyed” referred to the alleged conduct and his intention to support the complainant. ([abc.net.au](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09-02/radio-host-ray-hadley-continues-evidence-at-alan-jones-trial/107104158))
Describing their relationship, Hadley told the court it had shifted between warmth and hostility. He said Jones had contributed to his success as a broadcaster, but that the pair had also been involved in confrontations and that Jones had eventually wanted him out of the building.
“Our relationship was very complicated,” Hadley said. “We went from being very close to very distant.”
Jones denies all allegations against him. Hadley has now completed his evidence and the trial continues.
