A prominent athlete has told a Sydney court he froze and was “in disbelief” when Alan Jones allegedly kissed him on the side of his mouth at a public event. The testimony came on the first day of evidence from the third alleged victim, known as complainant M, in the broadcaster’s trial at Sydney’s Downing Centre.
Alleged Kiss at Public Event
The athlete, who cannot be named, said the kiss occurred as he walked across a large event room to return to his table. He told the court that Jones, a former 2GB broadcaster, approached him and kissed him on the corner of his lips. “I was shocked and embarrassed and I knew I did not want to be there,” he testified.
“I’m not certain, but I think I froze at that time,” he said. “I was in disbelief of where this was happening, and I didn’t understand why it was happening, and there’s no reason to suggest why in this public situation you’d kiss someone this way.”
The witness said he did not say anything at the moment of the alleged incident. Under questioning from prosecutor Georgina Wright SC, he confirmed he did not consent to being kissed in that manner.
Flowers, Texts, and Unwanted Advances
The court heard that the alleged kiss happened years after Jones had sent the athlete a weekly bouquet of flowers. The witness said he had complimented flowers on Jones’s dining table during a visit, and thereafter Jones’s driver would drop off flowers at his home every week.
After the dinner where the alleged kiss occurred, Jones texted M with a message to the effect of “I would like to be kissing you all night,” the witness said. The athlete also testified that Jones sent him texts such as: “If someone hasn’t told you, let me be the person who tells you that you’re special.”
The witness said the attention was flattering at first but later became uncomfortable, noting that not even his parents spoke to him in that way.
Friendship and Alleged Pattern
The athlete said he was interviewed by Jones on multiple occasions as a teenager and later developed a friendship that included visiting Jones’s apartment at Macquarie Street in Circular Quay for meals. He described Jones as always introducing him in an “incredibly overwhelmingly complimentary” and “flattering way,” which made him feel “awkward and uncomfortable in how glowing it was.”
On those visits, Jones would welcome him with a hug and a kiss on the cheek, using terms like “champion” and “beautiful man.” The witness also said that after complimenting tableware during a meal, he later received a set of the same tableware from Jones.
The court also heard about a visit to Jones’s Fitzroy Falls farm with a roommate, during which the athlete broke down in tears while discussing his financial difficulties. Jones offered to help and arranged a meeting at his apartment—known as the Toaster—involving the bank, the athlete’s agent, and his accountant.
Jones has pleaded not guilty to all 22 charges of indecent assault and sexual touching, which include the two charges related to complainant M. The trial continues at the Downing Centre in Sydney.
