Sydney broadcaster Alan Jones has denied ever promoting the life and work of Roger Rogerson, the corrupt former cop charged overnight with the murder of a Sydney youth in an apparent ‘drug deal gone wrong’.
Yesterday, NM reported that Rogerson was charged along with fellow corrupt cop Glen McNamara over the murder last week of Sydney student Jamie Gao, aged 22. Police allege Rogerson and McNamara murdered Gao in a $3 million drug rip-off, and then dumped his body at sea.
NM reported that Mr Jones, an Officer of the Order of Australia, had launched a book written by Rogerson in 2009, detailing his life as a cop. The story also referenced an interview Mr Jones conducted with Rogerson at the time, on Radio 2GB.
He told listeners: “I’m not one of those politically correct people and it mightn’t be politically correct to say it but if we had – you talk to people at the grass roots – if we had a few more of the man I’m about to speak [to]then we’d have few, fewer problems in society confronting society at the moment. A bit of old style policing wouldn’t do any harm.”
Mr Jones then crossed live to Rogerson, and permitted the twice-jailed liar, drug dealer and now alleged murderer to plug his novel.
This morning, Mr Jones wrote to New Matilda to deny ever having “promoted” Mr Rogerson.
“I don’t know Mr Rogerson. I have no involvement in his life. I am revolted by what has been alleged,” Mr Jones wrote.
“I do know our court system deals with these serious matters and as I’ve said publicly, I trust that Mr Rogerson receives the justice he deserves.
“In relation to your comments about “promoting a man” I did nothing of the kind. I answered the request of the publisher to launch the book and that’s what I did.
“I repeat, I share along with everybody the public outrage that has followed the allegations against Mr Rogerson in recent days.”
Mr Jones said he was approached by the publishers of Rogerson’s book The Dark Side to launch it, and that he agreed to do it without payment.
“As I have already said in the last 24 hours, publicly, I launched a book at the request of Mr Rogerson’s publisher relating to Rogerson’s life in the police force.
“I was invited by the publisher, I received no payment for what I did.
“I had no contact with Mr Rogerson in accepting the publisher’s invitation. I’m aware that Mr Rogerson is facing serious charges.
“At the time I launched the book, I spoke to my lawyer and I was careful not to defend the character or analyse the deeds of Mr Rogerson.”
Mr Jones also defended his past comments about the need for the sort of ‘old style policing’ that Rogerson became infamous for, policing which included the suspicious shooting death of Sydney drug dealer Warren Lanfranchi in a Chippendale back-lane called Dangar Place.
“I note that recently reference has been made to my comments about ‘old style policing’. They are not new comments,” Mr Jones wrote.
“As I’ve said many times, from my days in the bush, in my own childhood, it meant that a young person was given a stern lecture and brought home to their parents by the local sergeant.
“It was a course that was productive at a time when charging a young person unnecessarily could do much harm.
“As I’ve said often, a young person who at 10 steals candy doesn’t need a record buried in court papers, however deep.”
You can read a demolition of Rogerson here, from writer for The Australian, Jack the Insider.
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