Ray Hadley tells Alan Jones trial: ‘I won’t rest until we bury him’

Ray Hadley has been questioned about his long-running dispute with former 2GB colleague Alan Jones, with a Sydney court hearing text messages in which Hadley said he would not “rest until we bury him, figuratively and literally”.

Hadley returned to the witness box on Wednesday for his second day of evidence in Jones’ trial on 20 counts of indecent assault and two counts of sexual touching.

Jones has denied all allegations against him and pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Hadley’s evidence relates to Complainant C, who has accused Jones of kissing him in lifts at 2GB and Jones’ Circular Quay apartment building, as well as touching him on the penis while driving him to and from work.

Hadley was among the first people C told about the alleged incidents.

The court previously heard C broke down while speaking to Hadley about the allegations in October 2019. Hadley facilitated a phone conversation between C and journalist Peter FitzSimons in 2019. 

In 2023, C agreed to speak with Sydney Morning Herald investigative journalist Kate McClymont, who published his allegations under the pseudonym Bradley Webster.

READ MORE: Ray Hadley expected to be star witness at Alan Jones trial

Hadley questioned over secret 2GB contract

Under cross-examination by Jones’ barrister Gabrielle Bashir SC, Hadley was questioned about a secret contract to take over Jones’ 2GB breakfast program.

The court had previously heard evidence from Jones’ former producer James Willis that Hadley had signed a contract to replace Jones when his contract expired in 2019.

Hadley told the court he was offered $4 million a year under the deal.

“They doubled my salary and gave me breakfast money and told me I would be doing breakfast on 1 July,” he said.

Bashir suggested Hadley coveted the breakfast program and regarded it as the “pinnacle” of broadcasting.

“The pinnacle was increasing my money from $2 million to $4 million; I didn’t want to get out of bed at 1.30am,” Hadley replied.

Hadley said he later “stepped down” from the agreement following changes in ownership involving Macquarie Media and Nine Entertainment.

He told the court Nine’s then-chair Peter Costello intervened and insisted that “Jones must be doing breakfast”.

Jones ultimately remained in the breakfast program, signing a new deal in 2019 before retiring from radio the following year.

Relationship between Hadley and Jones

The court also heard further evidence about the relationship between Hadley and Jones, who worked for the same radio network for years.

Hadley said an assault allegation was made against him by another 2GB employee and was later found to be false following analysis of CCTV footage.

Hadley told the court Jones’ then-executive producer Willis told him Jones had asked staff to “dig up dirt” on him.

Hadley said he later came to believe Willis was a “double agent” who was “telling Jones what he wanted to hear and telling me what I wanted to hear”.

Hadley told the court he later confronted Jones, calling him a “dog and a c—t”.

Text messages put to Hadley

Bashir also questioned Hadley about text messages exchanged with Complainant C.

The court heard a 2019 message referred to Jones being “outed as a faggot”.

On the evening before McClymont’s story was published, C sent Hadley an image of the newspaper’s front page.

Hadley responded: “That c--- will be in the foetal position when he reads the story in the morning; it’s been 50 years in the making.”

The court was also shown a message Hadley sent to C three days after McClymont’s report was published in the Sydney Morning Herald.

Hadley admitted writing: “The low c—t will now know he is not just taking on victims, he’s taking on me and Kate. I won’t rest until we bury him, figuratively and literally.”

The messages were put to Hadley as part of Bashir’s cross-examination about his relationship with Jones.

Jones’ defence has previously characterised Hadley as a rival of Jones who wanted to “destroy” him.

Court hears of contact with journalist

Before Hadley finished giving evidence for the day, Bashir raised an interaction between Hadley and someone sitting in the public gallery.

Hadley admitted winking towards the gallery after mistakenly believing the person was a Sydney Morning Herald journalist who had referred to him in a report the previous day.

The court also examined whether Hadley had had contact with journalists while he remained under oath. Hadley said he had not spoken to any reporter about his evidence, although he had spoken to Kate McClymont about an unrelated ICAC inquiry.

Judge Glenn Walsh referred any potential contact concerning Hadley’s evidence to the sheriff for investigation.