Sri Lankan cricket star charged with four counts of rape scores huge victory in court after he allegedly attacked a woman and left her ‘in fear for her life’ while they were on a date
- Sri Lankan cricketer won in court after alleged attack
- Danushka Gunathilaka allegedly raped a Sydney woman
- Was in Australia for the World Cup at the time
Sri Lankan cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka has had three of his four sexual assault charges dropped after he allegedly raped a Sydney woman.
The 32-year-old was facing four counts of sex without consent while in Sydney for the T20 World Cup, however, prosecutors dropped three of the charges in a Sydney court on Thursday.
The drummer allegedly met the 29-year-old for a date in November 2022 before raping her on her return home to Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
A police fact sheet filed with the court said the woman “feared for her life and could not walk away from the accused” during the November 2022 incident.
The prosecution successfully requested an adjournment last month, pushing the hearing beyond the six-month requirement for certification of the charges.
Sri Lankan cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka has had three of his four sexual assault charges dropped after he allegedly raped a Sydney woman
The cricketer star faced four counts of sex without consent for an alleged attack while in Sydney for the T20 World Cup in November
Gunathilaka (pictured) was arrested in the early hours of November 6 at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Sydney
Gunathilaka’s lawyer, Alen Sahinovic, objected to the delay, arguing that his client was subject to undue hardship as a foreign citizen with strict bail conditions and limited family and social support.
Gunathilaka traveled to Australia with Sri Lanka’s T20 World Cup squad last year but only played his first match before being kicked out of the competition with a torn hamstring -legs.
He was arrested in the early hours of November 6 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Sydney, shortly before he was due to board a flight home with the rest of the squad following their withdrawal from the tournament.
He is expected to reappear in court to plead on July 13.
