Alan Jones accuser looked ‘devastated’: court

A man who has alleged that Alan Jones groped him under the table at a lunch looked “distraught”, “in shock”, “upset” and “devastated”, a witness has told the veteran radio broadcaster’s trial.

Mr Jones, 85, is standing trial in Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court, where he is fighting 22 counts of indecent assault and two counts of sexual touching having denied the allegations made by six male complainants.

One man, who can only be identified as C, told the court during his evidence that Mr Jones repeatedly kissed and groped him, including at a Mosman restaurant in Sydney’s north in front of several people.

Eight of the 22 counts of indecent assault relate to C, who told the court that several people witnessed Mr Jones touch him under the table.

C told the court that he was “deeply embarrassed” and one person who was at the lunch later remarked to him: “You copped a feel under the table? Did you like it?”

A series of witnesses are due to give evidence to the court about what they saw at the lunch.

One witness told the court on Friday that he was at the lunch at the Mosman restaurant when he overheard two other people who appeared “amused”.

He told the court he saw Mr Jones at the other end of the table with a wine in one hand and his left hand under the table.

Asked if he could see what was happening under the table, the witness said: “No.”

He said he later overheard a conversation two other guests had with C.

At the time, one of the other guests was smoking on a lawn outside the restaurant.

The witness told the court that one of the men commented to C: “You were copping a feel under the table.”

Asked by Crown prosecutor Georgina Wright whether C replied, the witness said: “He (C) was shaking his head, saying ‘unbelievable’, his head was down.

He told the court that he later saw C, who “looked absolutely devastated”.