Source : PERTHNOW NEWS
A former star athlete who has accused Alan Jones of indecently assaulting him has denied being motivated by money when he went to police, telling a court: “I don’t want anything but proper justice”.
Mr Jones is standing trial having pleaded not guilty to 20 counts of indecent assault and two counts of sexual touching related to allegations that he kissed or groped six alleged victims between 2003 and 2020.
The former 2GB host has continually and vigorously denied the allegations.
The first witness to give evidence has been a man who can only be known as “complainant J” who, during his evidence, has alleged that Mr Jones kissed him without his consent and grabbed his penis.
Nine of the indecent assault counts relate to J.
The man is a former star athlete who met Mr Jones in a professional capacity as a teenager and his allegations relate to incidents in 2003 and 2004 when he was in his late teens.
J has been giving evidence since Monday and is being cross examined by Mr Jones’ barrister Gabrielle Bashir.
For the last two days, his cross examination has been under a non-publication order, which prevented media from reporting it until it was lifted on Thursday afternoon.
J DENIES FINANCIAL MOTIVE
J was cross examined about his resignation from a police force in 2024 after he was given a show-cause notice after he pleaded guilty in the NSW Local Court to assaulting a man.
The court has been told that the show-cause notice accused him of a serious breach and it proposed that his employment be terminated.
In response he resigned and the court was told on Wednesday that he was financially responsible for family members and rent and resulted in him falling on hard times.
During an at-time tense cross examination, J denied that he was motivated by money when he made his allegations to police in November 2024.
“Did you see any opportunity there for something that would change your financial circumstances,“ Ms Bashir asked.
“I don’t want anything from this,” J replied.
“I think I’ve been very clear before when I answered this question. I don’t want anything from this… I don’t want anything but proper justice.”
He said that he believed he could not make a civil claim against Mr Jones because the statute of limitations had lapsed and reiterated he was not motivated by money.
“SCHOOLBOY NARRATIVE”
J was cross examined about a car which was given to him by Mr Jones.
The court has been told that Mr Jones gifted him a Nissan Pulsar when he was 18, turning 19.
However in his first statement to police, he said that Mr Jones gave him the car when he was in year 12 and a 17-year-old.
Ms Bashir also questioned J about his statement to police that Mr Jones had given him a Nokia phone when he was still in school but Telstra records showed the number wasn’t connected until he was 18.
“It’s just not true in your first statement that you were given a phone when you were around 14/15 years of age,” Ms Bashir asked.
“No,” J replied.
Ms Bashir suggested to J that when he told police that he was given a phone while he was still in school, that he was trying to create a “schoolboy narrative of sexual touching.”
J told the court he was trying his best to recollect the timing of events.
“The objective facts show there was no gift of a phone while you were a schoolboy. The objective facts show there was no gift of a car while you were a schoolboy by Mr Jones,” Ms Bashir said.
“I accept that,” J said.
‘I PROMISE TO LOOK AFTER YOU’
J denied that he offered his former girlfriend a financial reward in exchange for giving a statement to police about what he told her about his allegations more than 20 years ago.
The court heard that back in 2004 J told his then-girlfriend that he was “going through a lot” and that “Alan Jones has been touching me”.
J was asked about a series of text messages he sent to his former girlfriend after he came forward to police.
At the time, the woman had spoken to police and agreed to give a statement about the allegations which he had relayed to him back in 2004.
The court was told that, in the messages, J told his ex-partner: “Just think about what you’ve just done for me” and it could “change my life my for the better”.
“And once it’s all over I promise to look after you,” J said in the message, the court was told.
Ms Bashir suggested that the messages implied that he was offering his former partner a financial reward for giving evidence, an allegation J strenuously denied in court.
“Those messages, ‘when it’s all over I promise to look after you’ could only mean that you would look after her financially,” Ms Bashir asked.
“No, I think I’ve been very clear about this. I’m here because I would like to do the right thing and have the defendant held accountable for what he’s done,” J replied.
J reiterated that “I don’t want to take anything” from Mr Jones and said he would not sue him in a civil court.
‘I HAVEN’T MADE THIS UP
He denied manufacturing the allegation that Mr Jones grabbed him on the penis while driving him to Fitzroy Falls.
“You concocted this detailed story about grabbing your thigh and groping your penis on the way down to Fitzroy Falls haven’t you,” Ms Bashir said.
“No,” J replied.
The trial before Judge Glenn Walsh continues.
