Source : PERTHNOW NEWS
An executive who alleges Alan Jones ran his hand down his back and buttocks at an event looked “stunned and upset” when he relayed his complaint to a colleague, a court has been told.
Mr Jones is standing trial in the Downing Centre Local Court in Sydney having denied allegations that he groped and kissed five male complainants.
The 85-year-old former king of the airwaves has pleaded not guilty to 19 counts of indecent assault and two counts of sexual touching, including allegations made by a former executive who can only be referred to as “Complainant H”.
H on Monday told the court that Mr Jones ran his hand down his back and rested it on his bottom at a function in Sydney more than five years ago.
“It was a hand on the upper back at first … his hand slowly went down my spine and then rested on my bottom,” H told the court on Tuesday.
The man told the court he relayed his allegation to his boss and a workmate in the following days.
The disclosure to his boss
H’s then-boss told the court on Wednesday that she spoke to him in her office in the following days.
“He came to my door and he said, ‘Now I know how women feel’,” the woman told the court.
“(H) said that the defendant (Mr Jones) had touched him on his back, run his hand down his back.”
The woman said H told him the alleged incident occurred at the end of the event, following dinner.
She said she asked H whether he wanted to make a complaint; however, he declined.
“He did not want to make a formal complaint and he wanted me to keep the matter totally confidential,” the woman said.
‘Stunned and upset’
One of H’s former colleagues on Wednesday told the court that he informed her about the alleged incident during a conversation inside his office.
She said at the time, H looked “stunned and upset”.
“He told me that Mr Jones had put his hand on his back and had run it down his back and across his buttocks,” the woman said.
She told the court she asked H what he did and he replied: “I didn’t do anything, what could I do?”
She said H told her the alleged incident occurred towards the end of the evening.
Under cross-examination by defence barrister Michael Burke, the woman denied that she had exaggerated her description of H’s demeanour during the conversation.
“I suggest to you that the version of the complaint you’ve given now is an exaggeration that you may have had with (H),” Mr Burke asked.
“I refute that,” the woman said.
The businessman
During his evidence to the court on Tuesday, H said he was in a conversation with two other people when Mr Jones allegedly ran his hand down his back and buttocks.
He said he could not recall who the other people were, but one of the men may have been a wealthy and well-known businessman.
In a statement, which was read out to the court on Wednesday, the businessman said he recalled attending the event along with Mr Jones and several other guests.
“I do not remember anything out of the ordinary occurring at the event,” the businessman said in his statement.
“As far as I was aware, it was a successful night.”
The trial continues.
