Alan Jones trial hears accuser sent ‘flirty’ texts to radio host to ‘curry favour’ after alleged assaults

A man who has accused Alan Jones of indecently assaulting him says he sent the high-powered radio host “flirty” text messages because he was attempting to “diffuse” the situation and curry favour, a court has been told.

Mr Jones is fighting 20 counts of indecent assault and two counts of sexual touching in a high-stakes trial in Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court.

The 85-year-old has denied all the allegations made by the six male complainants and pleaded not guilty.

A man, who can only be known as “Complainant C”, is the second alleged victim to give evidence during the trial and has alleged that Mr Jones touched him on the penis on the outside of his pants on several occasions and kissed him without his consent inside the lifts at the former talkback host’s apartment building and work premises.

C will return to the witness box on Tuesday for what will be his third day of evidence.

The court was told on Monday that over several years, C made complaints about Mr Jones to friends, family and colleagues.

And C said he broke down while making a confession to ex-2GB host Ray Hadley in October 2019.

The court was told that for several years after the alleged incidents, C remained in contact with Mr Jones via text message.

And C told the court that some of them could be described as “flirty”.

During an at-times tense cross examination, C on Monday told the court that Mr Jones was one of the most powerful men in the country and he felt he needed to keep him onside for professional reasons.

The court was told C said in one message to Mr Jones: “Can’t sleep, thinking of you tonight.”

C said the messages were an attempt to “curry favour”, “you had to text him in a flirty way” and that he was attempting to “diffuse” the situation.

“That was how you had to text him, there was a routine to it. You had to text him in a flirty way,” C told the court.

He agreed that he had sent some of the text messages unprompted to Mr Jones.

In one series of text messages, Mr Jones and the man discussed the size of C’s penis and the former shock jock asked “how big” it was, the court was told.

“He didn’t know how big it was because he hadn’t touched it, had he?” Mr Jones’ defence barrister Gabrielle Bashir asserted to C during his cross examination.

“He had touched it many times, on the outside of my pants,” C told the court.

In one message, C told Mr Jones that he was a “comfortable eight” out of 10.

Ms Bashir further asked: “That was not a message you would send to a person who had touched you without your consent on your penis.”

“Yes it is considering the circumstances of our relationship,” C replied.

The trial before Judge Glenn Walsh continues.