Overview

• Two complainants will no longer be called, reducing the number of alleged victims pursued from 11 to nine and removing aggravated elements, the court was told.
• The ODPP withdrew or amended more than a dozen charges just days after nine fresh counts lifted the tally to 44.
• Jones pleaded not guilty through his lawyer and was excused from appearing at the brief mention in Sydney’s Downing Centre.
• The defence signalled unresolved disputes over the legality of searches, phone data and intercepts, along with disclosure issues.
• A hearing date is due to be set on November 11, with prosecutors estimating a six‑week hearing and the defence projecting several months as the magistrate flagged resource pressures.