Alan Jones allegedly wanted to kiss athlete ‘all night’
Adelaide Lang |
A prominent athlete says longtime shock jock Alan Jones called him special and said he wanted to kiss him “all night” after an unwanted kiss.
The complainant appeared in person in a Sydney Local Court on Monday to testify as Jones fights 22 charges of indecent assault and sexual touching without consent.
The veteran broadcaster has pleaded not guilty to the charges, which relate to six men and are alleged to have occurred between 2003 and 2020.
The sportsman said he was a young teenager when he first met Jones, who was “overwhelmingly complimentary” and flattering.
Jones would call him “beautiful man” and “champion” and greet him with a hug, the athlete told the court.
“If someone hasn’t told you, let me be the first person to tell you you’re special,” the former Wallabies coach would text him.
“At first it was flattering, and then I got a little uncomfortable about it because it was not something even my parents say to me,” the sportsman testified.
He complimented Jones on his tableware and floral arrangement and soon received a tableware delivery and weekly shipments of flowers to his house, the court was told.
When the athlete fell into financial difficulty, he said he asked the veteran broadcaster for assistance and the older man advocated on his behalf.
Years later, he said he was at a sporting function when Jones allegedly kissed him “close to my lips … the side of his lips”.
“I recall thinking, like, ‘f*** what just happened? Why would someone do that? Why would he do that?'” the sportsman recalled.
“It felt like a long walk back to the table. I sat down. I didn’t speak about it.”
He said he had not consented to the kiss, which lasted a second or two and left him shocked and embarrassed.
“I think I froze at that time,” the athlete said.
“I was in disbelief of why this was happening … there’s no reason to suggest why in this public situation, you’d kiss someone this way.”
Later that night, he recalled receiving a message from Jones which said words to the effect of “I would like to be kissing you all night.”
In her opening statement, crown prosecutor Georgina Wright SC foreshadowed the sportsman would allege Jones later pressed his body and genitals against him.
The former Wallabies coach is charged with one count each of indecent assault and sexual touching without consent against the sportsman.
Jones claims the alleged incidents never occurred.
He has come face to face with his accuser, who is the third alleged victim to give evidence in the NSW Local Court hearing.
The athlete is the first to elect to give evidence in person, with the two previous complainants dialling into the court from a remote room.
The court is in closed session for his testimony.
Media have been permitted to dial in from a remote room.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
AAP