Skip to main content

Sri Lanka cricketer Gunathilaka cleared of sexual assault in Australia

Sri Lankan cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka was cleared of sexual assault in Sydney on Thursday, saying outside the court that he “can’t wait” to play again.

The 32-year-old batsman was arrested in November last year just hours after his country lost to England in their final Twenty20 World Cup match in Australia.

He was initially accused of four counts of sexual intercourse without consent after arranging to meet a woman at a bar near the Sydney Opera House through a dating app.

Three of those charges were dropped in May.

On the remaining count, Judge Sarah Huggett found him not guilty, according to a document provided by the New South Wales District Court in Sydney.

“The last 11 months have been really hard for me,” Gunathilaka told reporters outside the court.

“Everyone believed me, so that means a lot to me,” he said.

“I am happy that my life is normal again so I can’t wait to go back and play cricket,” he added.

Prosecutors had argued he removed a condom during sex without telling the woman, who had only agreed to protected sex, according to a report by Australian public broadcaster ABC.

But the judge said the woman did not have a clear memory of what happened at the time, it said.

Gunathilaka made his international debut in 2015 and has played eight Tests, 47 ODIs and 46 T20s. Sri Lanka Cricket suspended him after he was charged.



from The Dawn News - Home https://ift.tt/vtdhi2o
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

DG ISPR to address press conference on counterterrorism efforts, security situation at 2:15pm today

Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General (DG) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry will address an “important” press conference today on counterterrorism efforts and the country’s security situation, state broadcaster PTV News has said. “DG ISPR will hold an important press conference at 2:15pm today,” PTV News said in a post on X . “DG ISPR will give a briefing on the internal and security situation, actions taken against terrorism, and other matters,” the post added. The press conference takes place after heightened security concerns, specifically in Balochistan following a spate of terror attacks on August 26. In the latest flare-up of violence, dozens of militants affiliated with the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) — a separatist outfit — launched numerous attacks across Balochistan last week, killing at least 50 , including 14 security men. A suicide attack also took place in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s North Waziristan on August 26, killing four ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Indian police hunt more suspects in gang rape of Spanish tourist

Three Indian men have appeared in court after the gang rape of a Spanish tourist on a motorbike trip with her husband, with police hunting four other suspects, reports have said. The attack took place on Friday night in eastern India in Jharkhand state’s Dumka district, where the couple were camping. A total of seven men are accused of carrying out the brutal assault. “We have formed a team to hunt the remaining suspects,” senior local police officer Pitamber Singh Kherwar told AFP . On Sunday, three accused were seen being escorted into court with sacks on their heads by police officers holding ropes tied around their waists. The three were later remanded in custody. The Spanish woman and her husband were also in court. “We have to ensure strict punishment,” Kherwar said, the Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency reported Monday. Kherwar said a special team including forensic officers had been formed to scour the scene of the attack, while another team was hunting more suspec...
Post a Comment
Read more

Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani skipping home run derby

Baseball’s biggest star is skipping the home run derby. Shohei Ohtani confirmed after Tuesday’s win over the Diamondbacks that he will not be participating as he continues to rehab an elbow injury that has prevented him from pitching this season. “There’s been some conversations going on,” Ohtani said, according to Juan Toribio of MLB.com . “I’m in the middle of my rehab progression, so it’s not going to look like I’ll be participating.” Manager Dave Roberts said Ohtani and the club reached the decision together. Ohtani signed a historic 10-year, $700-million contract with the Dodgers after winning his second AL MVP award last season with the Angels. Despite his elbow injury, he has served as the Dodgers’ primary DH this season and been one of the most productive hitters in baseball. Ohtani entered Tuesday hitting .316/.399/.635 with a 1.034 OPS. He hit his NL-leading 27th home run in the win. Ohtani had previously participated in the Derby in 2021. Last season’s champion, Vlad...
Post a Comment
Read more