Warning: Graphic content
A former teen athlete who was allegedly indecently assaulted by Alan Jones looked like he had “seen a ghost” before he confided in his then girlfriend that the veteran broadcaster had been touching him inappropriately, a court has heard.
The ex-girlfriend of complainant “J”, one of six men who has accused Jones of unwanted kissing and touching, told Jones’ indecent assault and sexual touching trial on Tuesday that “J” swore her to secrecy after telling her about the alleged assaults.
“He was really uncomfortable with telling me. He had his head down,” she said.
“He did sort of aggressively [say], ‘you cannot tell anybody about this’. It was, ‘you can’t repeat it’ or, ‘you’ve got to keep it to yourself’, it was along the lines of that.”
She told the Downing Centre Local Court that “J” made the disclosure during a late-night conversation in her parents’ loungeroom in the mid-2000s. He had arrived from Jones’ southern NSW property looking “emotionless” and like he had “seen a ghost”, she said.
“I remember his face very clearly in my mind, and it still is very clear in my mind,” she said.
He told her that “Alan Jones has touched me inappropriately”, she said.
She said “J” was not his normal self and was not looking her in the eye. She suggested to him that “maybe you want to report it” and he responded firmly, “No”, she told the court.
‘Tell my truth’
Years later, after Jones was arrested in 2024, she said “J” contacted her by text message, and they spoke later that night.
“J” told her that “I’d like to come forward and tell my truth”, she said. She responded that she thought this was important, the court heard, and that “I remember you telling me all those years ago”.
Complainant “J” was the first witness to give evidence in the former broadcaster’s lengthy criminal trial on 20 counts of indecent assault and two counts of sexual touching without consent.
He alleges Jones kissed him and touched his penis without his consent.
On the Crown’s case, the alleged assaults took place in the early 2000s when “J” was aged between 17 and 19. The former broadcaster vehemently denies wrongdoing and is defending the charges.
Of the 22 charges, nine counts of indecent assault relate to “J”, who completed his evidence on Tuesday. A further five complainants will give evidence in the trial.
Jones’ gifts to family of ‘J’
The brother of complainant “J” told the court on Tuesday that the then broadcaster had not only given his brother a series of gifts but had also bought him expensive presents.
He said “J” had told him that “Alan would like to help out” with an engagement ring when he was planning to propose to his now wife. Jones had also bought the couple a Villeroy & Boch dinner set as a wedding gift, “J”’s brother told the court.
Under cross-examination by Jones’ barrister, Gabrielle Bashir, SC, he said he did not recall other gifts, after Bashir asked about a dishwasher for the family home, flowers for their mother and hampers.
The brother of “J” said he was aware that Jones had given his brother a series of gifts including a mobile phone, a car, and a weekly allowance of hundreds of dollars. Records tendered in court suggest “J” received the phone about a month after his 18th birthday and the car when he was 19.
The brother told the court that “J” confided in him about the alleged indecent assaults after Jones’ arrest in November 2024.
“J” had asked to meet him at a nearby McDonald’s, he told the court, and had said: “This is the hardest thing that I’ve ever had to tell you. You’ve probably seen the news about the defendant.
“I’m one of the people who has come forward.”
He said he asked “J” why he hadn’t told him earlier and “J” had replied that it was hard for him and he didn’t know what to do. “J” said he didn’t want “the money, the support” from Jones to stop, his brother said.
He said he asked “J” how bad it had been and “J” had replied: “Nothing too bad. He didn’t try to f— me or anything like that. He would try, he would grab me on the c—, he would kiss me … the hugs would go for longer.”
Asked by prosecutor Georgina Wright, SC, if he had witnessed Jones act inappropriately towards “J”, his brother said: “I didn’t.”
Earlier on Tuesday, “J” was asked about texts with his former partner as he was re-examined by Wright during his sixth day of evidence. The complainant had told the court he confided in his then-girlfriend about the allegations.
Last week, “J” was taken to texts exchanged with the woman after she went to police to make a statement while detectives were investigating accusations related to “J”.
In those 2024 texts, he told the woman he would look after her “after it is all over”, referring to the court proceedings. Bashir suggested he was referring to financial support.
The woman wrote that speaking to police “brought back a lot” and that she didn’t remember some of it.
“J” responded: “That’s great news, thank you. I didn’t want to discuss anything, so everything was all from what you remembered. I appreciate you meeting with him and providing a statement.”
“J” wrote that when it was “all over” they could meet up, and he could tell her his story.
The complainant denied he was alluding to financial support when he said he’d look after her, saying he was talking about her difficult sobriety journey.
“I anticipated she’d have to go to court … I was grateful if she’d remembered anything,” he said.
“I was just going to support her to do that for me.”
The man was also asked during re-examination by Wright why he had lied to his mother when he spoke with her following media coverage of the allegations against Jones in late 2023. The court heard he told her Jones had never touched him.
He said he felt that she would have pushed him to come forward to police if he had told her.
“I thought I would be called a liar and crushed in court and no one would believe me,” he said.
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.
