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Former 2GB broadcaster Jason Morrison has told a court that a guest at a lunch where Alan Jones is accused of indecently assaulting a young man had joked that Jones and the alleged victim looked like “a great couple”.
Morrison gave evidence on Monday in Jones’ indecent assault and sexual touching trial that he attended the lunch about 20 years ago. Jones was sitting next to the complainant, known as “C”, he said.
He told the Downing Centre Local Court in Sydney that at one stage he saw Jones with his arm over “C”’s shoulder “in the manner that people do when they’re talking about somebody”.
Asked if anything was said after the meal was over, Morrison said that “some people joked about how they kind of looked like a great couple and all of this sort of stuff”.
“It wasn’t really anything else other than banter,” he said, adding later that it was “said sarcastically”.
He said he did not recall anything being said that was “horrible or harmful or anything like that”.
Asked by prosecutor Georgina Wright, SC, who had made this remark, Morrison said that “someone did, [it] could have been me, [I] don’t know”.
Morrison told the court that his impression was that “C” was “stuck” at the “least-fun” end of the table by being seated next to Jones, and there were jokes to that effect at the lunch.
But he said he did not observe anything “profound on that day that would have made me remember much more detail” from the lunch.
The court has heard that the lunch was attended by a range of guests from Jones’ personal and professional life, and they did not all know each other.
“C” has alleged that Jones put his hand under the table at the lunch and touched him on his penis over his clothing.
Jones is standing trial on 20 counts of indecent assault and two counts of sexual touching without consent spanning six male complainants over a 17-year period, from 2003 to 2020. Of those charges, eight indecent assault charges relate to “C”.
The complainant was aged in his early 20s at the time of the alleged assaults while Jones was in his late 60s.
Jones has vehemently denied the allegations.
Morrison’s evidence was cut short on Monday after a legal issue arose.
Judge Glenn Walsh told Morrison that he would resolve that issue on Tuesday morning, and the former 2GB host’s evidence would continue after that.
Two other lunch guests have given evidence in the trial. On Friday, one guest said that he had seen “C” sitting next to Jones and that the young man looked “distraught”.
“That’s probably the best word … he looked in shock, upset,” the witness said.
The man said he did not see what was happening under the table, only that Jones’ hand was under it.
Another guest said that the event was attended by various people from Jones’ orbit, including “people who looked after the admin of his life”.
Asked by Wright if he had seen any inappropriate behaviour by Jones at the event, he said: “No, I did not.”
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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