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BERITA BAHASA INDONESIA
TOK PISIN
By Ethan Rix
Topic:Courts
Alan Jones has pleaded not guilty to 20 counts of indecent assault and two counts of sexual touching. (ABC News: Jamie McKinnell)
A complainant says he instigated a range of flirtatious text messages to Alan Jones when the pair worked together in a way of currying favour with him.
The man has accused the veteran broadcaster of indecent assault, an allegation Mr Jones denies.
The trial before Judge Glenn Walsh continues.
A man accusing Alan Jones of indecently assaulting him when the pair worked together has told a trial he instigated flirtatious messages about being a bachelor to the veteran broadcaster because he "knew he would like to be spoken to that way".
Complainant C has alleged he was indecently assaulted by the former radio host on eight separate occasions while working with Mr Jones in 2008.
The man told the trial last week that Mr Jones kissed him without consent several times in the lift of his Circular Quay apartment and at work, and touched his crotch in the car while he was driving the radio host, when he was aged in his early 20s.
The man also alleges another colleague witnessed Mr Jones grope his penis on the outside of his pants when the radio host asked him to sit next to him at a lunch in Mosman.
Mr Jones has pleaded not guilty to 20 counts of indecent assault and two counts of sexual touching relating to six male complainants between 2003 and 2020.
The trial continues. (ABC News: Jamie McKinnell)
Under cross-examination for a second day, Complainant C was asked about comments he previously made about working with Mr Jones including saying that staff were treated like "family" and that he had a "great time".
Complainant C said the comments were not a true representation of his time working with Mr Jones and told the trial he said them before he ever spoke to anyone about the allegations.
The complainant previously told the court he felt "anxious and uncomfortable" when he accompanied a politician, who he worked for at the time, for a meeting with Mr Jones at the broadcaster's Circular Quay apartment in 2015.
Defence barrister Gabrielle Bashir SC suggested his description of how he felt was untrue, telling the court that after the meeting, Complainant C responded to a message from Mr Jones saying: "was so lovely seeing you too. Haven't been this happy with work in a long time … made only better by seeing you today."
"That message was in response to a message from Alan saying, 'I look happy … how big is the c***, love my angel'," Complainant C said.
The complainant accepted that he instigated a range of text message exchanges with Mr Jones throughout 2015 including one saying, "listening to your voice at work, missing you … lots of love always P.S I'm a bachelor again", followed by a comment, which the complainant agreed was a reference to his own penis.
"Do you agree that this was a message that was part of regular banter?" Ms Bashir asked.
"I did send that message because I knew that he would like it … that was a reference to how he liked to describe my penis," Complainant C said.
"You were intending to titillate him [Mr Jones]?" Ms Bashir suggested.
"I wouldn't use that word, but I certainly thought it was a way of carrying [sic] favour with him," Complainant C replied.
Gabrielle Bashir has been cross-examining Complainant C.  (ABC News: Jamie McKinnell)
The trial heard Mr Jones requested Complainant C drive him home from work when the two worked in the same office several years after the alleged indecent assaults occurred.
Ms Bashir asked why the complainant did not make an excuse as to why he could not drive Mr Jones and suggested he did not need to agree to the request.
"He didn't have a gun to my head, but I didn't want to say no, I didn't want to say no to Alan Jones," the complainant said.
Complainant C said there was no inappropriate behaviour during the car ride.
The court heard Mr Jones sent him a message when he arrived home saying, "wanted to hug you but not allowed for a soon to be married man" followed by "but what about the massive weapon do I just have to imagine".
The trial heard the complainant replied saying, "I loved spending time with you today … unexpected … would love to have hugged too … those Book of Mormon blokes have nothing on me".
The complainant accepted that he instigated a range of text message exchanges with Mr Jones. (ABC News: Jamie McKinnell)
The complainant said the Book of Mormon comment was a reference to something Mr Jones had said in the car about actors in the play, who are from Africa, having "massive penises".
Complainant C accepted that he had also sent Mr Jones a winking face and eggplant emoji, which he said was in reference to his penis.
The complainant agreed that he sent those messages as an adult but said they were "consistent" with someone "who had been groomed for 10 years".
Ms Bashir put to Complainant C on at least 16 different occasions that the alleged assaults never occurred, which he rejected each time.
The complainant repeatedly said he "hates" reading the old messages he had sent but denied Ms Bashir's suggestion that he hated them because they "expose the fabrication" of his allegations.
The court heard Complainant C invited Mr Jones to his wedding despite feeling "reluctant" to do so and accepted a $2,000 wedding gift from the broadcaster.
The complainant rejected suggestions that his various messages thanking Mr Jones for the gift — including saying, "for you to be there by my side on a most special day means more than you realise" — were inconsistent with messages to their alleged abuser.
Ms Bashir suggested the complainant was the one who held power over Mr Jones because he had the ability to expose the broadcaster's intimate messages and knew that he was "resistant to gossip about his sexuality".
The complainant accepted Mr Jones never threatened him and but said the talkback host had an "extraordinary amount of power" and that "he absolutely could have gotten me fired if he wanted to" despite no longer working with him.
The court previously heard the complainant detailed allegations against Mr Jones to then radio host Ray Hadley in 2019, who he asked not to disclose with anyone .
Ms Bashir asked if the complainant knew that Mr Hadley "didn't get along" Mr Jones in 2018.
Complainant C said he didn't know what "Alan and Ray's relationship" was like.
The trial before Judge Glenn Walsh continues.
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