Alan Jones trial live updates: Herald journalist Peter FitzSimons gives evidence as indecent assault, sexual touching trial continues

Key PostsPeter FitzSimons appears in courtBy Michaela WhitbournWarning: Graphic contentHello and welcome to our live coverage of Alan Jones’ criminal trial in the Downing Centre Local Court in Sydney. I will be reporting on the latest developments with my colleagues Clare Sibthorpe and Harriet Alexander.Jones, 85, is facing 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 heavyweight denies the alleged physical acts occurred.Peter FitzSimons outside the Downing Centre Local Court in Sydney on Thursday.Sitthixay DitthavongToday, author and journalist Peter FitzSimons, a columnist at The Sydney Morning Herald, is giving evidence about his conversation with complainant “C”, a former staffer to Jones who has accused the broadcaster of unwanted touching and kissing.The court has heard that FitzSimons had a conversation with “C” in 2019, after being put in contact with the complainant by Jones’ 2GB colleague Ray Hadley. FitzSimons was not told the identity of “C”, the court has heard. FitzSimons did not report on the complainant’s allegations.Years later, in 2023, the Herald’s chief investigative reporter, Kate McClymont, spoke to “C” and reported on his allegations, among others, in an anonymised form. McClymont is expected to give evidence in the trial at a later date.NSW Police set up Strike Force Bonnefin in response to McClymont’s reporting. Jones was arrested in November 2024.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.Latest Posts11.12amInvestigating a potential storyBy Michaela WhitbournFitzSimons is being asked about a potential story he was working on about Jones in late 2019.He agreed that by the end of September 2019 he was pursuing the potential story with McClymont and a third reporter at the Herald about sexual allegations against Jones.Ray Hadley has also given evidence in the trial.Oscar ColmanThe court heard he had a call with the then 2GB host with Ray Hadley on October 15, 2019, the day before he had a conversation with the man whom it later emerged was complainant “C”.He said he thought he sent his notes of the call to McClymont and Lisa Davies, the then editor of the Herald. The notes referred to a “source” at 2GB, the court heard, whom FitzSimons agreed was Hadley.“Just put phone down after speaking for 20 minutes to authoritative source,” he wrote in the email.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.”11.05amCross-examination under wayBy Michaela WhitbournFitzSimons’ evidence in chief has been completed. Jones’ barrister, Gabrielle Bashir, SC, is now cross-examining the author and journalist.He is taken to a document showing phone numbers and identifies his own number, which he said he had around 2018 and 2019.FitzSimons said he did not recognise Hadley or McClymont’s numbers in another list because he did not know them “off by heart”.11.00amThe Herald’s reportingBy Michaela WhitbournFitzSimons said he had contact with the man again on the Sunday morning after his colleague Kate McClymont, the Herald’s chief investigative reporter, published a story reporting allegations against Jones in 2023.He did not recall any other contact with the man before then. He told the court he had received a text message from the man and had spoken to him on the phone.FitzSimons told the court earlier in his evidence that McClymont is an “investigative journalist of great repute”.10.48amThe conversation with Ray HadleyBy Michaela WhitbournFitzSimons said the man he spoke to on October 16, 2019, did not want his name to be made public and that either the man himself, or Ray Hadley, told him as much.He said he had no other verbal conversation with the man in 2019. He said that about four days after the call Hadley indicated that the man was “deeply upset” and spiralling.He said he told Hadley to tell the man “we will not pursue” this.10.41amAlleged text messages from JonesBy Michaela WhitbournFitzSimons said the man also told him that Jones sent him text messages that said: “I want you to send me photos of your c---.”His contemporaneous notes of the phone call are tendered in evidence in the trial.Alan Jones arrives at the Downing Centre Courthouse this morning.Sitthixay Ditthavong10.35amThe alleged restaurant incident By Michaela WhitbournWarning: Graphic contentFitzSimons said the man also told him during the phone call about an alleged incident at a restaurant.“He said that while he was sitting next to Mr Jones, Mr Jones’ hand went onto his penis and he was gripping his penis,” FitzSimons said. “It was under the table.”Jones denies any of the alleged physical acts in this trial occurred.FitzSimons said the man said that “around the table there were a lot of people” and that he saw “two people laughing at his discomfort”.10.32am‘He used the word romantically’By Michaela WhitbournFitzSimons said the man told him Jones was living in the Toaster in Circular Quay and that the men had gone shopping together.He said the man had said that on one occasion his “hands were fully laden with heavy shopping bags” as they entered the building’s lift, and that as the lift door closed, “Mr Jones had pushed against him … grabbed him on the groin” and kissed him.FitzSimons said the man “used the word romantically” to describe the alleged kiss.“Romantic was a surprising word to use,” FitzSimons told the court.He said that the man told him that he was “pressed up against the lift wall” at the time of the alleged kiss.FitzSimons said he was told this was not a one-off occurrence, but he particularly remembered being told about the detail of the alleged shopping incident.“He was not happy and indicated he did not want to do that,” FitzSimons said of the man.10.27amFitzSimons’ conversation with “C”By Michaela WhitbournWarning: Graphic contentFitzSimons agrees that he had a phone conversation with a man on October 16, 2019, but he was not told who he was.The court has heard evidence that the man FitzSimons was speaking to was complainant “C”, and he had been put in touch with FitzSimons by the then 2GB host Ray Hadley.Peter FitzSimons outside the court on Thursday.Sitthixay DitthavongHe recalled that the man said he was in his early 20s at the time when he worked for Jones and that “Jones was the most important, powerful person at 2GB”.10.15amFitzSimons on his first meeting with JonesBy Michaela WhitbournPeter FitzSimons has been called to the witness box.Prosecutor Georgina Wright, SC, asks him when he first met Alan Jones. He says Jones called him in 1982 because he “wanted me to leave Sydney University Rugby Club” to join him in Manly, which he did in 1983 and was coached by him.He agrees that he wrote two articles about Jones in 2017 that were complimentary of his rugby coaching skill.He said that in April 2017 he wrote a 1000-word piece in the Herald “noting I’d had many differences with Jones, [but] one thing he was absolutely brilliant at was as a rugby coach”. He likened him to introducing “nuclear power” into Australian rugby when previously it had been wind-powered.FitzSimons said that after his second article, which was along similar lines, he “got a very strong email from a young man”.He agreed that he started working on a potential story about Jones shortly thereafter.10.01amThe other complainantsBy Michaela WhitbournThe court has heard so far from two of the six complainants who have accused Alan Jones of unwanted kissing and touching. Jones denies any of the alleged physical acts occurred.After the evidence related to complainant “C” is completed, a third complainant is expected to be called to the witness box as early as Monday.The Crown has foreshadowed that the remaining complainants will give the following evidence.Complainant “M”, an athlete, is expected to say that Jones sent him fresh flowers each week for a year after he visited Jones’ apartment and made a comment about the floral arrangements. He alleges Jones hugged and kissed him on the corner of the mouth for a second or two at a public event when he was in his 30s.“M” will also allege that he went to Jones’ apartment some years later and Jones pushed his body against his and kissed him from the cheek to the corner of his mouth. He recalled feeling Jones’ genitals pressed up against his upper inner thigh. Wright foreshadowed that “M” would give evidence that he pushed Jones back and said “OK mate” before leaving the apartment.Complainant “F”, who was a 17-year-old working in media, is expected to allege that Jones squeezed his buttock through his clothing at a news event in Sydney. Prosecutor Georgina Wright, SC told the court that “F” told his mother that Jones “grabbed my bum” but he decided not to report it because he felt that nobody would believe his word over the broadcaster’s.Complainant “A”, who was 17 at the time of the alleged offence, is expected to say that Jones put his tongue inside his mouth when he was visiting the broadcaster’s Fitzroy Falls property. Wright foreshadowed that “A” would say he froze and didn’t know what to do. He alleges that Jones also put his hand on his bottom. The mother of “A” is expected to give evidence that her son later wrote her a note that said something like “someone in power did something they should not have”.Complainant “H”, who was aged in his early 30s, will allege Jones met him at a fundraising event in Sydney and used his hand to touch the top of his back, sliding slowly down his spine and resting his hand on the top of his bottom.1 of 2