EXCLUSIVE
Sir Elton John’s one-time best friend and lady-in-waiting has defended sportsman Alan Jones amid accusations he abused his powerful position to take advantage of young men.
Music industry publicist Patti Mostyn said it was inappropriate to pursue Jones over historical sex allegations given his advanced age and that he should instead be remembered for his historic radio career.
The prominent Sydney socialite accused the media of carrying an “agenda” against the veteran broadcaster and attacked investigative reporter Kate McClymont, who broke the story.
Mostyn spoke out on famed writer Andrew Hornery’s private Facebook page after posting a link to McClymont’s story about Jones’ arrest on Monday.
Jones was subsequently charged with more than two dozen offenses of indecent assault and sexual touching involving alleged victims as young as 17.
The 83-year-old denies the allegations.
‘Is this really true?’ Mostyn said. ‘What’s Kate’s agenda?! AJ is very old, stellar career, what the fuck right now, seriously!
‘I feel like sending a message, but it would probably make things worse!’
Renowned rock and roll publicist Patti Mostyn (pictured opening Girls Night Out at Sydney’s Star Casino in 2000) has defended sportsman Alan Jones and his “stellar career” after he was accused of more than two dozen of crimes of indecent assault and sexual touching. this week and attacked the media for continuing with the accusations
Mostyn was once Sir Elton John’s best friend and was even chief bridesmaid at his ill-fated Sydney wedding in 1984, but later admitted she wanted to be his bride.
Mostyn, famous for working with global superstars such as Frank Sinatra, George Michael, Bob Dylan, Rod Stewart and Sting, was once one of Sir Elton’s closest confidants and spent more than 20 years as his personal publicist in Sydney.
She was the main bridesmaid at the pop star’s ill-fated wedding to German recording engineer Renate Blauel at St Mark’s Anglican Church overlooking Sydney Harbor at Darling Point in the eastern suburbs in 1984.
But she was so close to the singer that she famously suggested that she hoped to be the one wearing white.
“I always thought I would be the bride,” he said later. “I was desperate for him.”
Mostyn and Sir Elton later suffered a speculator row and she sold around $50,000 worth of lavish jewelery given to her by the Yellow Brick Road star 10 years ago.
His comments defending Jones drew the ire of Hornery’s other Facebook connections before he was forced to intervene and ask his friends to “please stay civil”, adding: “Not everyone is going to agree, but we can still respectfully disagree.”
Hornery also defended McClymont and refuted any suggestion that there was a further agenda to investigate the allegations surrounding Jones.
“(There is) only one agenda: expose the truth,” Hornery said.
Mostyn has worked with a star-studded client list, including a young Elle Macpherson.
‘Holding the powerful to account is a critical function of journalism, and clearly the police have found enough to proceed.
“Although she is innocent until proven guilty (I don’t think her age matters as much as the ages of the alleged victims), some of them were (supposedly) teenagers.
“The (alleged) power imbalance alone is staggering.”
Mostyn has not been the only high-profile personality to rush to Jones’ defense and take aim at McClymont for exposing the scandal.
Controversial former sex therapist and self-proclaimed men’s rights activist Bettina Arndt also supported the aging radio star during a lengthy rant on her Substack blog under the title ‘Justice Denied.’
Arndt, who has long supported alleged rapist Bruce Lehrmann, described Jones as a “decent and principled man” who had been the subject of a “vendetta” and attacked the media for pursuing the allegations.
“The arrest of Alan Jones this week shows how we have strayed from the principles of justice, with our media and police heavyweights flagrantly ignoring the rules we have in place to ensure a fair trial,” he said online.
“This has all the hallmarks of a successful job, led by feminist journalists determined to take down the man who for decades was the king of the airways, enormously influential and with a large number of followers.”
Bruce Lehrmann supporter Bettina Arndt also publicly supported Alan Jones and criticized journalists for reporting on the historic sexual misconduct allegations against him.
‘At center stage is SMH journalist Kate McClymont, enjoying her current #MeToo campaign targeting prominent men.
“She was beaming when police acknowledged that her four-year vendetta against Jones had prompted a police crackdown on him.
‘Do taxpayers really approve of spending hundreds of thousands of dollars of our police budget trying to prove some decades-old allegations of groping butts or other hunks of strapping young men by this 83-year-old man?
“This week we saw the media alerted ahead of Jones’ arrest and public shaming, allowing wild journalists and photographers to wreak havoc, surveilling his apartment and the police station where he was eventually charged with 24 counts of indecent assault and sexual touching.
‘There have been press conferences, with the Deputy Commissioner of Police praising the bravery of the ‘victims’ and Commissioner Karen Webb eager to encourage more: ‘There is no better time to come forward.’
‘Even The Australian (newspaper) descended into the gutter, leading its news with a tragic video of Alan Jones pursued by the media scrum.
‘At the center of it all is this extremely popular man who has spent much of his life annoying the chattering classes by campaigning for causes they despise, while striving endlessly to help charities.
‘I am outraged by this gleeful attack by the State and the media on this decent and principled man. And the underlying message makes me shudder.’
Jones denies the allegations and is scheduled to appear in court again on December 18.
Sky News Australia presenter Peta Credlin described her former TV colleague as “a friend” and says the allegations are “completely out of character with the man I have ever known”.
Peta Credlin, Jones’ former colleague at Sky News Australia, also publicly supported her “friend” and urged people to respect the legal process.
“I have known Alan well for almost two decades and have seen him in many different contexts, and the alleged behavior is totally out of character for the man I have known,” Credlin told his viewers on Monday night.
‘These allegations will now be tested in court where evidence will be presented and that evidence will be judged. All this, in a very public way.
‘As it should be because we believe in the rule of law in this country and we expect it to be applied openly, transparently and fairly.
“I note that he was not given the option of presenting himself at the police station and, clearly, the media were informed in advance of what was going to happen, something that does not sit well with any of us who hope that justice will be done.” blind.
‘Here we are not judges, nor are we the jury.
‘I wish my friend the best during the next difficult few months.
“I don’t know what happened in the past, but I know that tonight, for everyone involved, this is a traumatic day.”
Jones was granted bail on Monday to appear at Downing Center Local Court on Wednesday, December 18.