Sri Lanka cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka found not guilty of sexual assault in Australia

He was stuck in Australia for 11 months due to his sexual assault charges.

Sri Lanka cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka found not guilty of sexual assault in Australia

Danushka Gunathilaka was cleared of sexual assault in court (Image via FOX Sports)

Sri Lankan batsman, Danushka Gunathilska, has been given a not guilty verdict on one charge of sexual assault. He was arrested in Australia during the 2022 T20I World Cup, where Sri Lanka were knocked out of the Super 8 stage. 

He was stuck in Australia for over a year, but is now finally allowed to return home after being cleared of his charges. The 32-year old batsman had met the alleged victim during the 2022 T20I World Cup, where he stayed despite getting injured. 

https://youtu.be/oX9zMW5YJ_I?si=EfeH8N7HTTHx1iOQ

The woman claimed that Gunathilaka had sexual intercourse with her without informing her that he had removed his condom. This is a form of rape called “stealthing.” The Judge, Sarah Huggett, listened to four days of evidence and then ruled in Gunathilaka’s favor, stating she found many inconsistencies in her statements. 

Talking to the press outside the Downing Centre District Court, the Sri Lankan said, “I think the judge’s verdict says everything. The last 11 months have been really hard for me. I’m happy that my life is normal again. So I can’t wait to go back and play cricket.” Currently Gunathilaka is suspended by Sri Lanka Cricket from playing all forms of cricket, but it could be overturned following his not guilty verdict.

Related: Sri Lanka Cricket suspends Danushka Gunathilaka following rape charges

Timeline of Danushka Gunathilaka’s case

Danushka Gunathilaka was injured after the first round of the marquee event, but stayed back with the Sri Lankan contingent. There he matched his alleged victim during October and met her on 2nd November in a bar in Sydney. CCTV footage showed the two on a ferry at 11pm that night. From there the pair went to her house. 

Danushka Gunathilaka being interrogated by the police (Image via FOX sports)

The two indulged in consensual intercoure, but the woman claimed he had removed his condom, with the cricketer telling her he didn’t like them. He confirmed the same to the police when they interviewed him.

Gunathilaka was arrested by the New South Wales Police on 6th November on four counts of rape. He was denied bail as he was considered a flight risk, but was finally out after paying $A150,000 as bail. He stayed under various conditions, such as he wasn’t allowed to contact the alleged victim, he had a curfew of 9pm to 6am and he had to report to the police every morning. 

On May 18, three out of the four charges were dropped and he went to court under the charges of stealthing. On 27th September, he was found not guilty by a judge-only trial.

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