Sydney: Sri Lankan cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka, who was accused of rape by a girl final 12 months, had three out of his 4 sexual assault fees dropped right here on Thursday.
Gunathilaka was charged with 4 counts of sexual activity with out consent for which the 32-year-old had been arrested by the Sydney police from the crew resort final November in the course of the T20 World Cup.
However, the general public prosecutor withdrew three of the costs in a Sydney courtroom.
According to the police, the Sri Lankan batter and the 29-year-old girl met through a relationship app. After their date, the 2 returned to the lady’s house at Sydney’s Rose Bay the place Gunathilaka allegedly choked her and raped her.
“Prosecutor Hugh Buddin, for the Director of Public Prosecutions, instructed the courtroom one cost had been licensed however the remaining three counts of sexual activity with out consent had been withdrawn,” the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
The remaining cost, based on the police details sheet filed with the Downing Centre Local Court, is that the Sri Lankan engaged in “forceful” sexual activity, throughout which he allegedly “put one hand round her neck for 20 to 30 seconds and choked her”.
Gunathilaka allegedly restricted the lady’s respiration for six seconds, earlier than she “tried to take away the accused’s hand by grabbing his wrist, however the accused squeezed tighter round her neck for an additional 10 seconds”.
The girl “was fearing for her life and couldn’t get away from the accused,” based on the police details sheet.
Gunathilaka was a part of the Sri Lankan crew for the T20 World Cup crew final 12 months. However, he solely performed of their first recreation towards Namibia. He was dominated out of the match attributable to a hamstring tear.
Gunathilaka, who has represented Sri Lanka in eight Tests, 47 ODIs and 46 T20 Internationals, is not any stranger to controversies.
In 2021, he was suspended by SLC for one 12 months after he breached the crew’s bio-secure bubble on the tour of England together with teammates Kusal Mendis and Niroshan Dickwella.
SLC had additionally handed him a six-month ban in 2018 after he had damaged the crew curfew. In the identical 12 months, Gunathilaka was additionally suspended after his unnamed good friend was accused of raping a Norwegian girls.
In 2017, the board had suspended him for six restricted overs video games after it learnt about Gunathilaka lacking coaching periods and turning up for a recreation with out his cricket gear.
(This report has been revealed as a part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no enhancing has been finished within the copy by ABP Live.)
