Sri Lankan cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka has been acquitted of sexual assault charges by a Sydney court. The 32-year-old was arrested in November 2022 during the T20 World Cup, following an accusation of non-consensual sexual intercourse made by a woman. Initially facing four counts of rape, the court proceeded with only one count during the trial.
Gunathilaka pleaded not guilty and underwent a four-day trial presided over by Judge Sarah Huggett at the Downing Centre District Court. Despite being under suspension from all cricket activities by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), Gunathilaka is now cleared to return to Sri Lanka.
Judge Sarah Huggett noted that the cricketer had “answered every question asked of him” by the police and gave a “distinct impression he was doing his best to be truthful”. The judge said, “The evidence establishes that there was no opportunity for the accused to remove the condom … because that intercourse was continuous.”
Judge Sarah Huggett said, “There is no reason at all to reject or disbelieve what he said in that interview. The complainant did not strike me as a witness motivated by a desire to give deliberately false evidence. However, there were occasions when I formed the impression that some of her evidence had the appearance of being motivated by a desire to paint the accused in an unfavourable light.”
Danushka Gunathilaka said outside the court in Sydney, “I think the judge’s verdict says everything. The last 11 months have been really hard for me. I’m happy that my life is normal again. So I can’t wait to go back and play cricket.”
Notably, the woman had alleged that she was sexually assaulted four times in her Rose Bay house on November 2, 2022, after going out on a date with the Sri Lankan cricketer, who was in town for the T20 World Cup. Danushka Gunathilaka was then arrested from Sydney’s Hyatt Regency Hotel by the Sydney police when the rest of the members of the Sri Lankan team were preparing to return home following the team’s elimination from the Super 12 stage.
Danushka Gunathilaka has played 8 Tests, 47 ODIs, and 46 T20Is for his country. He is a left-handed batsman and a right-arm leg-break bowler. In ODIs, Gunathilaka has scored 1601 runs at an average of 35.57, with two centuries and eleven half-centuries. His highest score is 133, which he scored against India in 2017. He has also taken one wicket in ODIs. In T20Is, Gunathilaka has scored 741 runs at an average of 16.46, with three half-centuries. His highest score is 57, which he scored against New Zealand in 2019. He has not taken any wickets in T20Is.