SRI LANKAN CRICKETER DANUSHKA GUNATHILAKA CHARGED WITH ALLEGED SEXUAL ASSAULT IN AUSTRALIA

Sun 06 November 2022:

Danushka Gunathilaka, a cricketer representing Sri Lanka, was detained and charged in Sydney for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman hours after the national team lost to England at the Twenty20 World Cup in Australia.

Gunathilaka missed the opening round of the World Cup due to a hamstring injury, but he stayed in Australia with the team.

“Sex crimes squad detectives have charged a Sri Lankan national following an investigation into the alleged sexual assault of a woman in Sydney’s east last week,” New South Wales police said in a statement on Sunday.

Sri Lanka’s cricket board confirmed the man was 31-year-old Gunathilaka.

“Sri Lanka Cricket confirms that it was notified by the ICC that player Danushka Gunathilaka has been arrested on the allegations of sexual assault of a woman in Sydney,” it said in a statement.

“SLC will closely monitor the proceedings in court and, in consultation with the ICC, will expeditiously initiate a thorough inquiry into the matter and take stern action against the player if found guilty.”

Sri Lanka cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka has been arrested in Sydney yesterday for rape. Sri Lanka team left home without him this morning. Gunathilaka was injured three weeks ago and replaced by Ashen Bandara. But team management kept him with the squad without sending him home.

— Rex Clementine (@RexClementine) November 6, 2022

After learning that a 29-year-old woman had been sexually assaulted earlier in the week at a Rose Bay residence in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, police said detectives launched an inquiry on Saturday.

Gunathilaka was arrested at a hotel in Sydney in the early hours of Sunday and charged with four counts of sexual intercourse without consent.

“The pair met up in Sydney at a pre-arranged meeting,” Detective Superintendent Jane Doherty, commander of the New South Wales state Sex Crimes Squad, told reporters. “They had drinks and went for something to eat before going back to the young lady’s home.

“Police will allege that whilst they’re in the home the male assaulted the female a number of times whilst performing sexual acts upon her.”

Doherty said the woman took steps to ensure her safety, including communicating with the man for several days before meeting and going on a date in a public place.

Gunathilaka will make an appearance at Sydney’s Waverley Court on Monday after being denied bail. The police say they’ll try to get bail denied once more.

Gunathilaka made his international debut in 2015 and has since participated in 46 ODIs, 46 T20s, and eight Test matches.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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