At Alan Jones's trial, witness Jason Morrison testified that at a luncheon, guests joked that a young staffer and the radio host looked 'like a great couple'. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing The Guardian.
Fellow shock jock Jason Morrison has told the Alan Jones trial that guests at a luncheon hosted by the 2GB breakfast presenter were joking that Jones and a young staffer “look like a great couple” as the pair sat next to each other at a Sydney restaurant.
Morrison, who often filled in for Jones, told the court a fellow guest made the “sarcastic” remark about the two men at the event on the lower north shore 20 years ago.
“My sense was he wanted to sit with us,” Morrison told the court at the start of the fourth week of the trial at Sydney’s Downing Centre local court, adding that the young man appeared “stuck”.
Jones has pleaded not guilty to 20 charges of indecent assault and two counts of sexual touching against six complainants.
Morrison is the third witness to be called to give evidence about the lunch so far.
An alleged victim, known as complainant C, earlier told the court that Jones had instructed him to sit next to him at the long table and spent the entire lunch with his left hand under the table and either on his leg or on his penis over his pants.
“People were taking the mickey out of the fact that he’d probably sat in the least fun part of the party … between Alan and Alan’s friends … And we had a great time,” the journalist said. “And he was stuck having serious discussions at the other end of the event,” Morrison, who will return to the stand tomorrow, said.
Asked by prosecutor Georgina Wright whether he heard any jokes made about C, Morrison said the theme of the banter was: “Sucked in … you’re with him for the whole lunch. You could have been sitting with us. We had a great time. You didn’t.
“Some people joked about how they kind of look like a great couple and all this sort of stuff.”
Wright: “Your evidence is that someone said they look like a great couple?”
Morrison: “Yeah. It was certainly said. Yeah. Said sarcastically, you know.”
Wright: “Could you see [C’s] face around that time?”
Morrison: “Probably would have. Could have, but I don’t recall anything about it.”
Morrison told the court he had a good working relationship with Jones but didn’t spend much time with him as they all worked “hideous hours”.
“And, you know, Alan could be a tough person to work with,” he said.
Morrison said at some stage he observed Jones had his arm around [C]’s shoulder “in the manner that people do when they’re talking about somebody”.
“And so we were having a bit of a joke at his expense, probably not in his knowledge,” he said. “And, they were faced the other way, talking to a group of people who I didn’t know at the other end of the table.”
On Friday another witness gave evidence that C looked “distraught” while sitting next to Jones. He observed Jones’s hand was under the table but that he couldn’t see under the table.
Another witness said he didn’t see anything inappropriate happen at the restaurant or hear any comments about any alleged inappropriate behaviour.
Morrison’s recollection of the name of the restaurant and the year in which the lunch took place differed to that of other witnesses.
The court adjourned early to deal with a legal issue between the parties, judge Glenn Walsh said.