The defense team for broadcaster Alan Jones questioned the former girlfriend of one of his accusers on Thursday, challenging her testimony regarding alleged indecent assaults.
Jones has pleaded not guilty to 22 charges of indecent assault and sexual touching without consent against six men, whose identities are protected for legal reasons. The accuser in question, now in his 40s, alleges Jones subjected him to misconduct between 2003 and 2020. Nine of these charges relate to this accuser, who testified that he first met Jones as a teenager and was subjected to an unwanted kiss at 18 years old.
The accuser's ex-girlfriend told the court that he had confided in her about groping incidents that occurred while he was staying at Jones's home. She recalled him saying, "Alan Jones sexually touched me," after a sleepover at Jones's residence. The accuser was reportedly against reporting the matter to police and asked her to keep it secret.
During cross-examination, the ex-girlfriend denied suggestions from Jones's barrister that this conversation never took place, stating, "No, I remember that clearly." She acknowledged a discrepancy between her court statement, which mentioned the alleged touching occurring on the NSW South Coast, and her initial police statement that did not specify a location. However, she refuted the assertion that she added the location detail to bolster the accuser's account, maintaining she knew where he had been.
The couple had broken up but later reconnected. The accuser allegedly reached out to his ex-girlfriend in 2024, after Jones's arrest, stating, "I'd like to come forward and tell my truth." While she confirmed her initial police statement did not contain the exact phrase "come forward," she insisted he conveyed a similar sentiment, though she could not recall the precise wording.
Following her statement to police, the accuser wrote to her, "Once it's all over, I promise I'll look after you." When questioned about these messages, the accuser denied it was a promise of financial reward for her statement. His ex-girlfriend also testified that she did not interpret the message as an offer of financial assistance, stating, "It does look like that, but it never crossed my mind. I know he didn't mean that either."
The accuser's former coach followed the ex-girlfriend in the witness box. The court is scheduled to hear from a second complainant on Friday, who alleges Jones indecently assaulted him eight times over the course of a year. These alleged incidents reportedly occurred during Jones's tenure as a dominant radio host.
During his 35-year career, Jones was known as a prominent interviewer and a conservative commentator on national radio and television programs.