‘Almost proudly’ anti-Alan Jones: Peter FitzSimons gives evidence in Sydney court

Warning: Graphic content

Author and journalist Peter FitzSimons told a court he is “almost proudly” anti-Alan Jones as he gave evidence in the former 2GB heavyweight’s indecent assault and sexual touching trial in Sydney.

FitzSimons, a columnist at The Sydney Morning Herald, testified in the Downing Centre Local Court on Thursday that he had a phone call in 2019 with a then-unidentified man who is now a central complainant in Jones’ criminal trial.

He said the man, known as complainant “C” in the case, spoke to him anonymously and alleged that Jones had touched and kissed him without his consent. FitzSimons had been put in contact with the complainant by Jones’ then-2GB colleague Ray Hadley.

The court heard FitzSimons sent his contemporaneous notes of the call to the Herald’s chief investigative reporter, Kate McClymont, referring to the man as a “source”.

Jones’ barrister, Gabrielle Bashir, SC, put to him that he had published multiple articles that were critical of her client, and said: “You were at that time [2019], and you remain, publicly and unashamedly anti-Jones.”

“Almost proudly,” FitzSimons replied.

He told the court that in 2017 he wrote two articles referring in glowing terms to Jones’ skill as a rugby coach, but agreed he has also accused Jones of bullying, telling untruths, and pursuing agendas.

‘Call if you can. Double bingo’

The court heard that FitzSimons sent a text message to McClymont the day before speaking to the complainant, after a phone call with Hadley.

“Call if you can. Double bingo. See email please,” he wrote on October 15, 2019. “Source is obviously Ray Hadley. The [complainant is] calling me at 7.30[am].”

In the email, which was also sent to the Herald’s then-editor Lisa Davies, he sent notes of his call with Hadley but did not name him.

“Just put phone down after talking for 20 minutes to authoritative source,” he wrote.

Asked if Hadley wanted to be anonymous at this time, he told the court: “If I didn’t name Ray Hadley … I presume that to be the case.”

‘A Kate McClymont story’

Jones’ barrister, Gabrielle Bashir, SC, put to FitzSimons that he was “not an independent investigator when it came to Mr Jones”.

“As at 15 October, 2019, you had a longstanding and publicly recorded dislike of Mr Jones, didn’t you?” she asked.

“My record on Mr Jones and my criticisms of Mr Jones [are] very public,” FitzSimons said. “From the first, I felt that it was a Kate McClymont story, it was not a ‘me’ story.”

He testified this was “clearly a potentially extremely important story” and McClymont is “an investigative journalist of great repute”.

It was “not a story I could possibly pursue on my own”, FitzSimons said. He was happy to help McClymont if required, and if the Herald decided “it was a credible-enough story to pursue”.

Within days of the call, however, he said Hadley told him the complainant was “spiralling”. FitzSimons said he told Hadley to tell him “we will not pursue” the matter.

FitzSimons told the court he had started looking into a potential story about Jones in about September 2019, after being contacted again by a different young man who had sent him a “very strong email” in 2017.

The Herald reporting

The court has heard that “C” spoke directly to McClymont years later, in late 2023. She reported on his allegations, among others, in a story that year.

FitzSimons said he did not recall any contact with the man after 2019 until McClymont’s article was published.

NSW Police set up Strike Force Bonnefin in response to McClymont’s reporting. Jones was arrested in November 2024.

Jones, 85, is standing trial on 20 counts of indecent assault and two counts of sexual touching without consent involving six male complainants over a 17-year period from 2003 to 2020. The former 2GB host denies any of the alleged physical acts occurred.

Of the 22 charges in the trial, eight indecent assault charges relate to “C”.

The call with ‘C’

FitzSimons said the man now known as “C” told him in their 2019 call that he was in his early 20s when he worked for Jones, and he was drawn into the broadcaster’s “inner orbit”.

He said the man alleged Jones had touched him in the car, and had first put his hand on his knee, then his groin, and would “stroke his penis, or hold his penis”.

“He made absolutely clear that he was revolted by what had happened,” FitzSimons said. “He was very tearful.” FitzSimons said the man told him he didn’t say no, but he had pushed Jones’ hand away.

He said the man also alleged Jones kissed him in the lift of the broadcaster’s apartment building, including on one occasion when his “hands were fully laden with heavy shopping bags”.

Jones had pushed him up against the wall, “grabbed him on the groin” and kissed him, he recalled the man said. FitzSimons said the complainant “used the word ‘romantically’” to describe the alleged kiss, and he recalled this because he felt it was “a surprising word to use”.

The complainant also alleged Jones touched him under the table at a restaurant.

“He said that … Mr Jones’ hand went onto his penis and he was gripping his penis,” FitzSimons said.

He said the man told him he saw “two people laughing at his discomfort”, and he believed the complainant said one of them was the then 2GB host Jason Morrison. Morrison has denied witnessing the alleged incident.

“C” has alleged the touching occurred at all times over his clothing.

FitzSimons agreed during his cross-examination that he wrote in 2018 that Jones was a “tumour on the body politic”. “I am very proud of that quote,” he said.

But he said he also likened Jones’ coaching to “the introduction of nuclear power into Australian rugby, where previously everything had been wind-driven”.

A new complainant is expected to give evidence in the trial on Monday.

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