Friend describes 'sharp shift' in athlete's relationship with Alan Jones

A friend of a prominent athlete has told police that he noticed a significant change in the athlete's relationship with broadcaster Alan Jones around the time of an alleged assault. The athlete has accused Jones of indecent assault and sexual touching.

'Sharp shift' in relationship

One friend, who has known the athlete for almost 30 years, told police that he believed Jones was a "trusted mentor" in the athlete's life. However, he noticed a change in the athlete's demeanor towards Jones around 2019 or 2020.

"I remember [Complainant M] telling me, 'something happened between me and Alan'," the statement said. "[Complainant M] told me that he wasn't comfortable with what was happening and Alan had crossed a boundary." "I remember telling [him] he should have flogged Alan."

The athlete, Complainant M, has alleged that Jones kissed him on the corner of his mouth at a public event in 2015, and then kissed him again without his consent during a visit to Jones' Circular Quay apartment in about 2020.

Changes in body language

The same friend told police that the athlete's body language changed when he received text messages from Jones around that time.

"In the years that I have known [Complainant M], he used to speak about Alan Jones affectionately, but there was a point that there was a sharp shift in the relationship between the two," the statement said. "If Alan Jones was brought up in a conversation you could visibly see [Complainant M's] body language change."

Second friend's police statement

Another friend's statement, read aloud to the court, said Complainant M confided in her in 2023, after stories about Jones were published.

"Complainant M said … 'Didn't I tell you about the time he kissed me?'" the statement read. "He said, 'I literally had to push him off me …'"

Complainant M's evidence concludes

Complainant M's evidence concluded on Friday morning after more than three days in the witness box. He was asked to define his relationship with Jones.

"I struggle with the word 'friendship'," he told the court. "I don't know how to define it." "We had a professional relationship, a private part to that relationship." "But for me there was this other part, this secret part I wasn't disclosing to anyone." "My partner didn't know about it. I was managing a relationship."