In a Sydney courtroom, a man known only as C has spent a second day recounting years of alleged unwanted physical contact by broadcaster Alan Jones — not as a sudden revelation, but as a long-held secret shaped by power, shame, and professional survival. He confided in friends, colleagues, and prominent media figures, yet each time drew back from public disclosure, weighing the cost of speaking against the cost of silence. His testimony illuminates a familiar human dilemma: how proximity to power can make truth feel like a luxury one cannot afford.
Jones accuser tells court he confided in Hadley, declined public allegations
A man alleges he experienced non-consensual physical contact and sexual harassment over multiple years while in professional relationships with a powerful media figure.
There was a routine to it. You had to text him in a flirty way.
Mark
Why did he keep texting Jones in that flirty way if he was so uncomfortable with what was happening?
Mimi
Because Jones was powerful, and the complainant needed to work. You don't risk your career over discomfort when the other person controls access to jobs and influence.
Mark
But he'd already left that job by 2013. Why continue at all?
Mimi
Leaving a job doesn't erase the person's reach. Jones was still important to state politics. The complainant was trying to keep doors open, not slam them shut.
Mark
So when he told his father-in-law, something shifted?
Mimi
Not immediately. But the #MeToo conversation gave him permission to name it. His father-in-law's initial reaction—that people come forward for money—was exactly what he'd been afraid of his whole life. When he pushed back, he broke his own silence.
Mark
Why tell Hadley and FitzSimons but ask them not to report it?
Mimi
He needed to tell someone who could understand the weight of it. But going public meant becoming a story, becoming defined by what happened to him. He wasn't ready for that.
Mark
And now he's in court anyway.
Mimi
Yes. But on his terms, in a legal process, not splashed across the media as a scandal. There's a difference.
El Pulso
- The complainant described specific alleged incidents of unwanted kissing and touching by Jones across workplace and private settings spanning several years, forming the core of 22 indecent assault and sexual touching charges Jones has pleaded not guilty to.
- Despite confiding in at least six people — including radio host Ray Hadley and author Peter FitzSimons — the complainant refused every opportunity to go public, fearing professional ruin in a media landscape where Jones held enormous influence.
- Text messages examined in court revealed years of intimate and sexually suggestive exchanges, which the complainant said he navigated with deliberate flattery — texting Jones 'in a flirty way' as a calculated strategy to preserve a relationship he felt he could not safely exit.
- A conversation sparked by his father-in-law's dismissive comments about #MeToo finally cracked the silence open within his family, revealing how cultural attitudes toward accusers compounded his reluctance to come forward.
- The trial is now probing the gap between private disclosure and formal complaint — examining why a man who told so many people still waited years to go to police, and what that delay reveals about the dynamics of power and consent.
In a Sydney courtroom, a man known only as C has spent a second day recounting years of alleged unwanted physical contact by broadcaster Alan Jones — not as a sudden revelation, but as a long-held secret shaped by power, shame, and professional survival. He confided in friends, colleagues, and prominent media figures, yet each time drew back from public disclosure, weighing the cost of speaking against the cost of silence. His testimony illuminates a familiar human dilemma: how proximity to power can make truth feel like a luxury one cannot afford.
A man identified only as C returned to the witness stand for a second day in Alan Jones's indecent assault trial, describing how he had quietly confided in prominent figures about alleged unwanted kissing and touching — yet each time pulled back from going public. In 2019, he spoke to radio host Ray Hadley, who arranged a phone call with author Peter FitzSimons, then researching allegations against the broadcaster. The complainant told FitzSimons about incidents in which Jones allegedly kissed him and touched his genitals while he was driving Jones and in other work settings. When FitzSimons asked if he would tell his story publicly, he declined immediately. He never gave FitzSimons his name, and when Hadley offered to accompany him to police, he refused — asking Hadley to tell no one.
The complainant explained his silence by pointing to Jones's extraordinary reach in Sydney media and politics. He described the broadcaster as deeply embedded in state political life, with policy sometimes shaped by what Jones raised on air. Even after their working relationship ended in 2013, the complainant continued exchanging messages with Jones — messages he described as romantic and intimate in tone — because maintaining Jones's goodwill felt professionally necessary. "I didn't want anyone to know," he told the court. "So in many ways I wanted to keep on his side." He even invited Jones to his wedding, saying he felt he had no real choice.
The court examined years of text messages in which Jones made references to the complainant's genitals and expressed affection in intimate terms. The complainant said he responded with deliberate flattery — texting Jones "in a flirty way" as a form of professional currency — while trying to deflect or ignore the more explicit content. He acknowledged the exchanges were deeply embarrassing. When Jones appeared to request a photograph of his genitals in October 2014, the complainant did not reply.
Before approaching Hadley, he had already told four friends and two colleagues what he alleged Jones had done. The moment that finally broke his silence within his own family came during a conversation about Harvey Weinstein and the #MeToo movement, when his father-in-law suggested people made such allegations for money or fame. The complainant used the opening to disclose what had happened to him, explaining that exactly that kind of response was what had kept him quiet. His father-in-law apologised. The trial also heard of an alleged kiss in a Melbourne hotel room in 2012 — not the subject of a charge but admitted as context — in which the complainant said he raised both hands and pushed Jones away. Jones has pleaded not guilty to all 22 charges.
A man took the stand for a second day in the trial of broadcaster Alan Jones, describing how he had confided in two prominent figures about alleged unwanted kissing and touching at work, yet asked them to keep it quiet. The complainant, identified only as C, told the NSW Local Court that in 2019 he spoke to radio host Ray Hadley about his experiences with Jones, and that Hadley arranged for him to speak by phone with author Peter FitzSimons, who was researching allegations against the broadcaster. Jones has pleaded not guilty to 22 charges of indecent assault and sexual touching.
When FitzSimons asked if he would go public with his account, the complainant said he immediately declined. "I told him how Alan used to kiss me, how he used to touch me on the penis," he testified, describing incidents that occurred while he was driving Jones and in other workplace settings. "Peter asked me if I wanted to tell that story publicly and I immediately declined." The man said he never identified himself to FitzSimons and that Hadley, who listened to the conversation, offered to accompany him to police. He refused, and asked Hadley for assurance that he would tell no one.
The complainant explained his reluctance to come forward by pointing to the power Jones wielded in Sydney media and politics at the time. He described the broadcaster as "very, very important to state politics" and noted that policy decisions sometimes hinged on topics Jones raised on air. When asked why he continued responding to Jones's messages after they stopped working together in 2013—messages he characterized as romantic and intimate—he said maintaining a good relationship with Jones felt professionally necessary. "These things had happened with Alan and I didn't want anyone to know," he told the court. "So, in many ways I wanted to keep on his side." He even invited Jones to his wedding, telling the judge: "I felt I needed to."
The court examined a series of text messages between the two men spanning years. In several, Jones made references to the complainant's genitals. When asked why he replied to one such message by saying seeing Jones again that day was "the highlight of my day," the complainant explained he felt obligated to engage in a particular way. "There was a routine to it. You had to text him in a flirty way," he said. "To carry favour." He described deliberately not responding to sexual references and attempting to "defuse" them, though he acknowledged the messages were deeply embarrassing to both send and receive. In June 2014, Jones texted "I love you intensely." Later that year, he referenced wanting "big hugs and kisses." When Jones appeared to request a picture of his genitals in October 2014, the complainant did not respond.
Before speaking to Hadley and FitzSimons, the complainant had confided in four friends and two colleagues about what he said Jones had done, using blunt language to describe the broadcaster. Yet he maintained a studied silence publicly, driven by shame and professional calculation. When his father-in-law made comments during a discussion about Harvey Weinstein and the #MeToo movement—suggesting people came forward with allegations for money or fame—the complainant seized the moment to disclose what had happened. "I said, 'well now is probably a good time to tell you, this is what Alan Jones did to me, and it's responses like that that would stop me from saying what happened'," he testified. "I'm now the father of your grandchild and I wouldn't want my name out there." His father-in-law apologized and expressed sympathy.
The trial also heard evidence of an alleged kiss in Melbourne in 2012 that is not the subject of a charge but was admitted as context. The complainant said Jones invited him to tour a hotel room at Crown Melbourne after an AFL game, and kissed him in the walk-in wardrobe. He raised both hands and pushed Jones away, and the two returned to the main area of the apartment. The complainant's testimony painted a picture of a man caught between the weight of what he said had happened to him and the professional and personal costs of disclosure—a tension that shaped his choices for more than a decade.
Citas Notables
Peter asked me if I wanted to tell that story publicly and I immediately declined.— Complainant C, describing his conversation with author Peter FitzSimons
These things had happened with Alan and I didn't want anyone to know. So, in many ways I wanted to keep on his side.— Complainant C, explaining why he continued responding to Jones's messages after they stopped working together
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Crime & Justice