There comes good news for Sri Lankan Cricketer, Danushka Gunatilaka. Three out of his four sexual assault charges got dropped by the public prosecutor in his ongoing case in Australia.
Why did Sexual Assault Case has been filed against Danushka Gunathilaka?
Danushka Gunathilaka was arrested in Sydney in early November back in 2022 when he was participating in the T20 World Cup 2022 with the Sri Lankan team. However, he was released on bail & had his bail conditions relaxed. The case suffered delays as Gunathilaka was required to stay in Australia during the legal case. The prosecution then applied for an adjournment of the case last month which took the hearing beyond the six-month requirement period for charge certification. But Gunathilaka’s lawyer proposed strong points & opposed the delay by proposing that his client was subjected to undue hardship as a foreign citizen with limited support in every sense.
The police Charge sheet which was submitted in the court with the charges levied by the woman stated that the woman who met Gunathilaka through Tinder App feared for her life during their meeting. For the unversed Gunathilaka had met that woman in a Sydney bar. After that Gunathilaka accompanied that woman to her house in the eastern suburbs, where the alleged sexual assault happened.
Further, the chargesheet included the charges of nonconsensual choking, digital penetration & stealhing. What does this term mean? The meaning of ‘stealthing’ is indulging in sex without a condom and without the consent of the other partner. This practice is a crime under New South Wales law & is applicable for stringent action.
Coming to Sri Lanka Cricket, the board has not openly extended its support to Gunathilaka but it does have offered significant assistance which includes paying for some of his legal costs, though the board has said it was expecting this money to be recovered. Coming to Danushka Gunathilaka’s cricketing career, the player has been suspended since his arrest & could not resume playing until he gets clean chit in all the charges he has been subjected to.
Also read, Arafat Bhuiyan Joins Kent After Graduating From SACA
