Jarryd Hayne looks tense as he arrives at court to face his fate in what could be some of his final steps of freedom – as prosecutors demand he be locked up today for rape
- Jarryd Hayne seemed tense at court
- He will hear today whether he will be taken into custody
Jarryd Hayne appeared tense as he arrived at court to learn whether or not he will be taken into custody today.
The disgraced NRL star held his wife Amellia Bonnici by the hand as the pair pushed through the throng of media waiting outside the NSW Supreme Court on Friday.
Hayne hid his eyes behind large black sunglasses and wore a tie, jacket and fawn trousers.
He was silent as his wife walked beside him wearing a burgundy pantsuit.
Jarryd Hayne has been seen leaving his home, possibly for the last time, as he heads to court, where he will hear if he will be taken into custody today
The disgraced NRL star was accompanied by his wife Amellia Bonnici as he stepped out the front door of his Sydney home on Friday
Last Thursday, NSW District Court Judge Graham Turnbull SC allowed Hayne to remain free on bail to help sort his family out.
The director of the Public Prosecution Service this week asked a higher court to reverse the ruling and put him behind bars.
Hayne will again face Supreme Court Justice Richard Button for a detention request.
If the prosecutors are successful, Hayne will be handcuffed in court, taken to the holding cells, and then taken by van to Silverwater or Parklea Maximum correctional center.
The court has previously heard there was “no doubt” Hayne will be sentenced to prison after being found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman in 2018.
Hayne was convicted for the second time by a jury earlier this month.
After his first conviction, he spent nine months in prison before his previous conviction was overturned on appeal last year.
He is again expected to appeal his latest conviction to the Court of Appeal and continue to maintain his innocence.
The 35-year-old left Downing Center District Court last week on conditional bail before facing trial in May.
However, the Director of Public Prosecutions has filed a detention request with the Supreme Court to put him behind bars immediately.
Hayne and his lawyers will arrive at the Supreme Court on Friday morning to challenge the application.
Under NSW law, a person found guilty of a felony and sentenced to a full term of imprisonment must be denied bail unless they can identify special or exceptional circumstances.
The first application to detain Hayne was made to the district court and was successfully opposed by his lawyer Margaret Cunneen SC, who told the court that the former Parramatta fullback was ‘too high profile’ to be sent to prison amid the great media attention.
Judge Graham Turnbull agreed with the defense’s opposition, saying that “who he is and what surrounds him” has made him “particularly vulnerable in the circumstances.”
Hayne wore a tie, suit jacket and slacks and seemed tense as he headed for his car parked in the driveway.
The 35-year-old former football player then drove to the Supreme Court where he was inundated by waiting media
Judge Turnbull allowed Hayne to stay on bail to help his family put their affairs in order before criminal proceedings began on May 8.
“It’s something that is an exceptional case and has created an exceptional circumstance,” Judge Turnbull said.
The court heard that Hayne had received hundreds of threats in the days since the conviction.
“Should lock him up with some guys and teach him what it’s like to ignore your permission,” one threat read.
“You’re the lowest of the low, you don’t deserve any sympathy,” said another.
Another read, “Big bubba is waiting.”
Judge Turnbull previously told the court there was “no doubt” Hayne would go to prison if convicted.
The court heard last week that Hayne had previously been targeted while in custody, meaning he needed to be protected.
Ms Cunneen said Hayne is ‘much more susceptible’ to attacks while in custody because the ‘intensity of publicity’ is greater than ever.
Friday’s detention request will be heard by Judge Richard Button.
