A Sydney court has heard compelling testimony from one of Alan Jones’s alleged victims, identified as Complainant C, who detailed sending what he described as “distressing and embarrassing” messages about his anatomy to the prominent broadcaster. C explained that this was a desperate attempt to maintain a favorable relationship with “the most powerful man in Australia,” an individual he felt immense pressure to appease.
Complainant C, who served as a driver for Jones at 2GB radio during his younger years, had previously informed the Downing Centre local court of alleged incidents involving Jones touching his penis and kissing him while employed. Jones currently faces a formidable legal battle, having pleaded not guilty to 20 charges of indecent assault and two counts of sexual touching, involving a total of six different men.
The defense, however, has countered these allegations by asserting that Jones and Complainant C engaged in “flirty” text message exchanges years after C’s employment with 2GB concluded, arguing that these interactions are inconsistent with any claim of indecent assault.
During Monday’s proceedings, defense barrister Gabrielle Bashir SC argued that C’s explicit texts contradicted his claims of being scared of Jones or of having been assaulted by him. The court was informed that the texting relationship between the two men persisted for several years subsequent to C’s departure from 2GB. One particularly revealing exchange, occurring after C had left the radio station, involved Jones inquiring about the complainant’s penis. The court heard Jones’s message: “Fuck how big is it … I haven’t seen it.” To this, C replied, “Between 1-10 I’d say a comfortable 8 :).”
Complainant C expressed profound regret over these messages, stating, “I feel physically sick about what I wrote back then and even sicker reading the questions he asked me.” He elaborated on the immense intimidation he felt, adding, “This bloke was asking me whether I was circumcised, whether I was hard. I was texting the most powerful man in Australia.” Bashir directly challenged C’s testimony, suggesting that Jones had never physically touched him, stating, “He had no idea how big it [C’s penis] was because he had never touched it.”
Earlier in the trial, prosecutor Georgina Wright questioned C about an incident not included in the formal charges. C recounted an instance where Jones allegedly kissed him inside a walk-in wardrobe within James Packer’s personal suite at the luxurious Crown Towers hotel in Melbourne. Packer, at the time, was the executive chair of Crown Resorts. C stated that he and a friend had visited Jones’s room for drinks while in Melbourne for a sporting event, aware of the suite’s exclusive nature due to its association with Packer.
C described Jones watching Wimbledon on television in the early 2010s, with a butler offering drinks to the younger men. They sat together on a couch, consuming beer. According to C, Jones then offered to give him a private tour of the suite, saying, “Come on [C] I’ll take you on a tour.” They left his friend in the lounge room. C followed Jones into a “pretty big” walk-in wardrobe, where Jones allegedly said, “I’ve missed you,” and then kissed him. When asked by Wright about his response, C testified, “I pushed him back; he was very close to my body. I put two hands up and pushed him back. I said ‘Let’s go back to [my friend]’.” Jones reportedly ceased his actions, and the two men returned to the lounge. C did not disclose the incident to his friend.
Complainant C, who is the second alleged victim to provide evidence in this trial, revealed that he only spoke about the abuse to friends and family after his employment with Jones ended. Subsequently, he confided in journalists Peter FitzSimons and Kate McClymont at the Sydney Morning Herald. Years after leaving 2GB, C also disclosed the indecent assault to his father-in-law, prompting this confession when his relative suggested that #MeToo victims were primarily motivated by financial gain. C specifically referenced the Harvey Weinstein news at the time, recalling his father-in-law’s comments about individuals fabricating claims for money and “just to make a name for themselves.” C told the court, “I said now is probably a good time to tell you that this is what Alan Jones did to me. And it’s responses like that that would stop me from telling what happened. I am now the father of your grandchild, and I wouldn’t want my name out there.”
The court was also informed that in October 2019, 2GB broadcaster Ray Hadley contacted C, informing him that FitzSimons was investigating a story about Jones. C explained that he then confided in Hadley, saying, “I shut the doors to the rest of the office, and I said to Ray, ‘I know we joke a bit about it but some of the stuff he did to me was quite fucked up’.” C then agreed to speak with FitzSimons on the condition of anonymity. After the conversation, Hadley inquired about C’s well-being. “I just broke down sobbing, I said, ‘[Jones] is a fucking cunt, he’s just a cunt’,” C recounted, emphasizing that he was thinking about his young child at the time and how the realization profoundly affected him. He stated that he had never spoken about the incidents in such explicit detail before, beyond casual conversations. The trial, presided over by judge Glenn Walsh, is ongoing.
