A man who alleges Alan Jones indecently assaulted him when he was 17 has rejected suggestions in a Sydney court that he fabricated his account, insisting the veteran broadcaster kissed him and grabbed his bottom without consent.
The complainant told the court he had been invited several times to Jones’s property in the NSW Southern Highlands before visiting during a school holiday. He said he was alone in the house and was not accompanied by a parent when the alleged incident occurred.
He said he leaned in to give Jones a goodnight hug, but froze when the broadcaster kissed him with tongue. He then recoiled and stepped away after Jones allegedly grabbed his bottom.
The teenager said he told Jones, “That’s enough Alan”, before turning towards his bedroom. He recalled that Jones was wearing a grin which made him feel uncomfortable.
“I went in (to the bathroom) with a loofah … and scrubbed my mouth as much as I could,” he told the court. “I felt violated and I felt gross.”
Under cross-examination by Jones’s barrister, Gabrielle Bashir SC, the complainant maintained that the kiss and touching had taken place.
He rejected suggestions that Jones had not kissed him, put his tongue in his mouth or touched his bottom. When Ms Bashir suggested that the pair had simply hugged goodnight, the complainant replied: “That’s not true, Ms Bashir”.
He accused the barrister of leaving out important parts of the account by describing the interaction as a hug followed by him going to his bedroom and going to bed.
Jones had helped the complainant’s family after the boy wrote to him about financial and personal difficulties when he was 13. The court heard the former Wallabies coach had advocated on the family’s behalf, contacted political connections and spent more than $100,000 assisting them over several years.
The complainant said he had been frightened that making a scene over the alleged assault could jeopardise the support his family had received. The court was also told that, in emails exchanged over the years, Jones had reminded him that it was “very important that you’re grateful” to those helping his family.
The complainant accepted that he had lied to authorities about a separate assault allegation made years after the alleged incident at Fitzroy Falls. He admitted presenting to hospital with injuries he claimed had been inflicted the previous night, despite knowing they had occurred weeks earlier, and said he had manipulated them to fit his account.
“I suggest to you that you have a selective view of the truth,” Ms Bashir said.
“That’s your opinion, Ms Bashir,” the complainant replied.
He was the fifth and final complainant to give evidence against Jones, who has pleaded not guilty to 21 charges of indecent assault and sexual touching without consent. One of the indecent assault charges relates to the man who was 17 at the time.
Jones is accused of inappropriate behaviour between 2003 and 2020, when he retired from broadcasting after more than three decades. His trial, which began in August, has been adjourned until Monday because of illness.
