Jones accuser spoke to Peter FitzSimons, Lisa Wilkinson, court hears

A former staffer to Alan Jones who has accused the broadcaster of unwanted touching and kissing spoke to journalists Peter FitzSimons and Lisa Wilkinson about his allegations, according to a police statement.

The father-in-law of Jones’ accuser said in a statement tendered in the former 2GB host’s criminal trial on Wednesday that the complainant, dubbed “C”, had told him in about 2023 that he had spoken to the couple about Jones.

The relative said he told “C” he was concerned about publicity because of the “very active public role” Wilkinson had played in reporting Brittany Higgins’ sexual assault allegations in 2021, and her husband FitzSimons’ position as a vocal critic of Jones.

But the man said in his statement, read onto the record by the prosecution in the Downing Centre Local Court on Wednesday, that “C” had told him he believed the pair would be discreet.

The complainant’s allegations were never reported by FitzSimons, a columnist at The Sydney Morning Herald, nor by Wilkinson, a former host of Ten’s then-flagship current affairs program The Project.

In late 2023, the Herald’s chief investigative reporter, Kate McClymont, published an article referring to the complainant’s allegations, among others, in anonymised terms.

The father-in-law said in his statement that “C” told him in a phone call in 2023 that Jones had “pushed him up against a wall and kissed him”.

The complainant was alleging sexual misconduct, the man said, and had “told me that he had discussions with police and other advisers about suing Alan Jones”.

The man said he was “surprised” at that time “that ‘C’ was considering such action”.

“Whilst ‘C’ had previously told me about some of the incidents he had experienced with Jones, he had not previously expressed the level of hurt that he expressed on that call, and had at times said very positive things about Jones,” he said.

He said the complainant told him his advisers had suggested there were alternatives to the “police route … including civil options”, and he recalled discussing the “pros and cons” of each.

Contact with FitzSimons, Wilkinson

“[In] subsequent phone calls with ‘C’, he told me that he had spoken to Peter FitzSimons and Lisa Wilkinson, and was receiving help and support,” the father-in-law said.

“I recall asking ‘C’ whether he felt they, FitzSimons and Wilkinson, would be discreet in assisting ‘C’, and he said that he believed they would be.

“My concern related to [the complainant’s] situation receiving public attention and was based on the very active public role Wilkinson played in the Higgins matter, and that FitzSimons had been a very public critic of Jones for a number of years after Jones was Wallabies coach.”

The father-in-law said that “C” had spoken to him about Jones before and after he married his daughter.

He said the complainant had told him that he had been invited into Jones’ Circular Quay apartment, and “when Alan sat down in his chair he was only wearing a dressing gown with nothing underneath”.

“‘C’ stated his undercarriage was hanging out,” the statement said.

The charges

Jones, 85, is standing trial on 20 counts of indecent assault and two counts of sexual touching without consent, relating to six male complainants between 2003 and 2020. Jones denies any of the alleged physical acts occurred.

Of the 22 charges, eight indecent assault charges relate to “C” and involve alleged touching of the complainant’s penis over his clothing, or kissing.

‘He tried to kiss me’

The court heard from a series of witnesses on Wednesday who said “C” had told them about alleged incidents involving Jones.

Another former staffer to Jones, who took up a role with the broadcaster after “C”, gave evidence that the complainant had asked him: “Did anything ever happen with you when you were working for Alan?”

“I said, ‘What do you mean?’ And he’s just like, ‘Oh, he tried to kiss me in the lift once,’ and I just went, like, ‘What?’ ” he told the court.

The complainant has told the court he was asked on some occasions to iron Jones’ underwear, although it appeared it was not the broadcaster who asked him but a member of his staff. “C” said he also served Jones breakfast.

The witness said he was never asked to iron Jones’ underwear, and did not serve him breakfast on a tray table.

A former colleague of “C” said the complainant had told him during a car trip that Jones had “reached into his [crotch] and squeezed it” while he was driving him, while another said he told her Jones would “go the grope”.

The trial continues.

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Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) or the Men’s Referral Service on 1300 766 491.

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Michaela Whitbourn is a legal affairs reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X or email.Clare Sibthorpe is a crime reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X or email.AdvertisementAdvertisement