source : the age
Warning: Graphic content
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of Alan Jones’ criminal trial in the Downing Centre Local Court in Sydney.
Jones, 85, is standing trial on 20 counts of indecent assault and two counts of sexual touching without consent relating to six male complainants over a 17-year period from 2003 to 2020. He denies the alleged physical acts occurred.
Yesterday, the third of the six complainants, a former athlete dubbed “M”, started giving evidence.
“M” returns to the witness box today. Yesterday, he told the court:
- Jones kissed him on the corner of his mouth at an event in Sydney about a decade ago. “I think I froze at that time,” “M” said.
- The court heard Jones texted him that night: “Great to see you. Sorry I didn’t catch up after, had to go back to work. You looked great. I love you, I hope you can feel my kisses darling xxxx.”
- “M” replied: “Nice to see you too. I had a very long day today and I am pleased to be in bed now; thanks mate xoxo.” The conversation ended in “M” saying “let me know when we can catch up. Lots of love” and Jones replying: “I will darling. Big kisses forever.”
- The court heard that Jones texted “M” on another occasion, after receiving a photo: “I love the photo. I love you. I want to kiss you for hours. That is beautiful. We must catch up darling [name] xxx”. “M” said he did not respond immediately. Hours later, Jones wrote: “I hope my message did not upset you. I love you.” The man said he responded the next day, writing: “Not at all mate. It’s nice to be loved.”
- The complainant said he had used the word “mate” for many reasons. “I know I’d made it very clear that … it wasn’t moving into a relationship, so ‘mate’ was my way of pushing back, I guess.”
- Reflecting on the messages, “M” told the court that he believed “it’s a person that is in love with me”, adding that he did not return those feelings.
- “M” said that on the last occasion he visited Jones at his harbourside apartment, the broadcaster kissed him repeatedly on the cheek towards his lips and said words to the effect of, “I love you so much, you don’t know how much I love you.” The complainant said he could feel Jones’ genitals on his leg.
- The complainant said he pushed the broadcaster away and said, “OK, mate”, in a tone intended to convey “get away from me”, and “got out of there as quickly as possible”.
- The court heard Jones had sent the complainant gifts including weekly flowers for years and a dinner set. The complainant agreed he also sent Jones flowers at least once.
Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) or the Men’s Referral Service on 1300 766 491.
The court is taking a short break for morning tea. The hearing will resume at midday.
“M” has agreed with Jones’ barrister, Gabrielle Bashir, SC, that Jones assisted him in times of personal crises.
The man agreed with Bashir that Jones visited him when he was unwell.
The examination-in-chief has concluded. Jones’ barrister, Gabrielle Bashir, SC, has started her cross-examination of “M”.
“M” has been asked why he continued to send Jones friendly messages following the second alleged non-consensual kiss at Jones’ apartment.
One of these messages included “M” saying he was calling to wish Jones the best for Christmas and the New Year.
“I was being polite. I made reference [in court yesterday] to the challenges of the relationship between myself and the defendant,” he told the prosecutor.
Asked what sort of challenges he was referring to, he said: “Someone who has a presence in media, someone who has a reputation around what they do, someone also who’s been generous to me at times in my life.
“That’s why I believe I am wishing them the best for Christmas, even though an incident occurred prior to this at their house.”
While looking through his calendar entries and text messages that were tendered in court, “M” has told the prosecutor that he believes he may have been confused about the timing of the alleged kiss at Jones’ Macquarie Street apartment.
He told the court he now understands it may have happened in a different year than he indicated in his initial police statement.
Evidence has resumed following the short legal discussion. Prosecutor Georgina Wright, SC, has taken “M” to screenshots of calendar entries from his phone over several years.
A number of these entries are marked “AJ”, which “M” agreed was his nickname for Jones.
Wright is asking him about his recollection of scheduled meet-ups with Jones about the same time of the alleged Macquarie St apartment kiss.
The apartment kiss allegedly happened several years after the first alleged kiss at the Sydney function.
As has become routine throughout the first six weeks of this trial, “M” has been asked to leave the room while a short legal argument takes place.
His evidence will resume shortly.
Prosecutor Georgina Wright, SC, is continuing her examination-in-chief of complainant “M”.
She is asking him about an allegation first aired yesterday, which involved Jones kissing “M” without his consent inside the former broadcaster’s harbourside apartment in Circular Quay.
“M” said he was sitting “on a lounge or a chair” and Jones was standing over him as he began to kiss him.
“As [the kiss] got closer to my lips, I started to move from that position into a standing position before saying ‘okay mate’ and pushing the defendant away,” “M” said.
The man said the lounge or chair made him feel like he could not get out of the room.
Jones denies the alleged physical act occurred.
The trial is being heard in the Local Court in Sydney by Judge Glenn Walsh. Cases in this court are not heard by a jury.
So far, the court has heard from two of the six complainants in the trial, “J” and “C”, and witnesses related to the men’s allegations.
It has also heard from the third complainant, a former athlete known as “M”. “M” is back giving evidence today.
Once all the complainants and related witnesses complete their testimony, the Crown and defence barristers will deliver closing submissions to the court, and the judge will consider his decision and deliver a written judgment.
The court has heard so far from three of the six complainants who have accused Alan Jones of unwanted kissing and touching. Their allegations account for 19 of the 22 charges in the trial.
“M” is the third complainant to be called to give evidence, and he is still in the witness box. Two of the charges – one count each of indecent assault and sexual touching – relate to his allegations.
Jones denies any of the physical acts alleged by any of the complainants occurred.
The Crown has foreshadowed that the remaining complainants will give the following evidence:
- Complainant “F”, who was a 17-year-old working in media, is expected to allege that Jones squeezed his buttock through his clothing at a news event in Sydney. “F” is expected to say that he told his mother that Jones “grabbed my bum” but that he decided not to report it because he felt that nobody would believe his word over the broadcaster’s.
- Complainant “A”, who was 17 at the time of the alleged offence, is expected to say that Jones put his tongue inside his mouth when he was visiting the broadcaster’s Fitzroy Falls property. Wright foreshadowed that “A” would say he froze and didn’t know what to do. He alleges that Jones also put his hand on his bottom. The mother of “A” is expected to give evidence that her son later wrote her a note that said something like “someone in power did something they should not have”.
- Complainant “H”, who was aged in his early 30s, will allege Jones met him at a fundraising event in Sydney and used his hand to touch the top of his back, sliding slowly down his spine and resting his hand on the top of his bottom.
