BREAKING! Verdict over Danushka Gunathilaka’s sexual assault case is out

Through the act of ‘stealthing’ on a Tinder date, Sri Lankan cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka has been acquitted in the case of assault. Judge Sarah Hugget pronounced the judgment at Sydney’s Downing Centre District Court on Thursday.

While pronouncing the verdict Judge Hugget said “The evidence establishes that there was no opportunity for the accused to remove the condom during intercourse because that intercourse was continuous,”. Judge Huggett deemed the complainant, who cannot be legally named, a credible witness who did not knowingly provide false testimony. But the judge added that “at times the woman gave the impression she was motivated by a desire to paint the cricketer in an unfavorable light”. Elaborating on the judgment she remarked, “I find that the evidence regarding the complaint far from supports the complainant. Rather it undermines the reliability of her evidence.”

“I’m happy my life is normal again,” the cricketer said. “I can’t wait to go back and play cricket,” he added after getting the acquittal from the court. He expressed his gratitude to everyone who stood by him in this testing period, especially his lawyers and parents.

Controversies surrounding Gunathilaka’s legal case and police investigation

The Sri Lankan team was on the tour to Australia when Gunathilaka was detained at the Hyatt Regency hours before the Sri Lankan cricket team was scheduled to depart the country, police first filed four charges against him. Three of those charges were ultimately dismissed by the prosecution. Initially, he was charged with multiple counts of rape, but only one count of stealthing – removing a condom without consent – proceeded to trial. Ms. Huggett discovered that the complainant had provided two distinct narratives in her statements to police and lacked a “clear memory” of what had taken place.

The woman alleged that the cricketer had committed multiple acts of physical abuse in testimony to police and the court, including smacking her buttocks, forcing a kiss on her, bruising her lips, and choking her during intercourse. Gunathilaka, who consistently insisted on his innocence, submitted a not guilty plea to a charge of engaging in sexual activity without consent in connection with the alleged “stealthing” by the batsman.

Two of the woman’s acquaintances testified before Judge Huggett as well, describing her as frail and disturbed the day after the cricketer visited her residence. The police officers who spoke with the woman were additionally grilled about how they managed the investigation, including leaving out important data, tossing notes, and perhaps tainting witnesses. Judge Huggett labeled the police’s prosecution of Gunathilaka as “very concerning” and “far from satisfactory” on Thursday.

Lawyers appearing for Gunathilaka challenged the complainant’s veracity, asserting that she changed her narrative of what happened over time and did so in order to portray Gunathilaka as a belligerent individual. The Sri Lankan is hoping for a comeback to international cricket as he has been out of the team since his detention in this case. He was out on bail but could not return to Sri Lanka while the trial was on.