National

Cricketer's rape charges dropped, one charge remains

By AAP Newswire

May 18, 2023

Sri Lankan international cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka (file image) — Three of the four charges against Sri Lankan cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka have been withdrawn. -AAP Image

Sri Lankan cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka has had three out of his four sexual assault charges dropped after he allegedly raped a Sydney woman.

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The 32-year-old was facing four counts of sexual intercourse without consent while in Sydney for the T20 World Cup, however, the public prosecutor withdrew three of the charges in a Sydney court on Thursday.

The batsman allegedly met up with the 29-year-old woman for a date in November 2022 before raping her when they returned to her home in Sydney's eastern suburbs.

A police facts sheet filed with the court said the woman "was fearing for her life and could not get away from the accused" during the November 2022 incident.

The prosecution successfully applied for an adjournment last month, which took the hearing beyond the six-month requirement for charge certification.

Gunathilaka's lawyer Alen Sahinovic opposed the delay, arguing his client was being subjected to undue hardship as a foreign citizen with strict bail conditions and limited familial and social support.

Gunathilaka travelled to Australia with Sri Lanka's T20 World Cup team last year but only played in their first game before being ruled out of the competition with a hamstring tear.

He was arrested in the early hours of November 6 at Sydney's Hyatt Regency Hotel, shortly before he was scheduled to board a flight home with the rest of the team after they bowed out of the tournament.

He is set to reappear in court to make a plea on July 13.

By AAP Newswire

Australian Associated Press