Danushka Gunathilaka, Sri Lankan batter, found not guilty in a sexual assault case. Gunathilaka of Sri Lanka was found not guilty in a sexual assault case.
Danushka Gunathilaka, a Sri Lankan cricketer, accuse of sexually abusing a Tinder date through the act of’stealing’ in November 2022. On September 28, however, he found not guilty of the allegation by Sydney’s Downing Centre District Court.
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Last year, the woman and the 32-year-old cricketer were match on the dating app
They went out for drinks at Opera Bar before having pizza in Sydney’s CBD and then to her residence in the eastern suburbs. The woman said that the cricketers slap her on the buttocks, kiss her aggressively, bruised her lips, and choked her during intercourse.
The sportsman seiz by authorities at the Hyatt Regency before the Sri Lankan cricket squad set to leave the country. Notably, the prosecution dismissed three of the counts, leaving only the case of stealthing to go to trial.
Danushka Gunathilaka, maintained his innocence throughout the trial
Enter a not guilty plea to a charge of engaging in sexual activity without consent relating to his alleged “stealthing.” Throughout the judge-only trial, defense counsel questioned the complainant’s reliability. Claiming that she modified her version of events over time in order to depict him as an aggressive person.
“The evidence establishes that there was no opportunity for the accuse to remove the condom during intercourse because that intercourse was continuous. ” Stated Judge Sarah Huggett as quoted by ESPNcricinfo in delivering the judgement.
Judge Huggett stated that the alleged victim, who cannot be legally identified. An intelligent witness motivate by a desire to cast doubt on the cricketer rather than delivering false testimony on purpose.
“I find the evidence in the complaint to be far from supportive of the complainant.” “Rather, it calls into question the credibility of her evidence,” the court added.
Furthermore, Gunathilaka release on bail throughout the trial but barred from playing international cricket or returning to Colombo.
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