Danushka Gunathilaka, a cricket player for Sri Lanka, showed up via video connection on Monday in handcuffs at a Sydney court to request bail after being accused of four charges of sexual assault. In Downing Center Local Court, Gunathilaka was visible on a screen and merely spoke to confirm his identify. He was sitting in a Sydney prison facility wearing a grey T-shirt and seemed composed. Ananda Amaranath, the batter’s attorney, declared he will ask for bail for the 31-year-old. The case was briefly postponed by Magistrate Robert Williams before the bail request was discussed. The prosecution declared that it will work to have certain details that could be used to identify the accused victim published withheld.
On Sunday, after the national team’s Twenty20 World Cup loss to England, police detained and charged Gunathilaka. Gunathilaka, who had stayed with the squad in Australia after missing the first round due to a hamstring injury. He was taken into custody early on Sunday morning at a hotel in Sydney and accused with four counts of having sex against his will.
The alleged sexual assault of a lady in Sydney’s eastern suburbs last week was reportedly looked into by investigators from the sex crimes unit, according to the New South Wales state police on Sunday. The two had been corresponding on a dating app for a few days when they allegedly met. The duo then made plans to meet, according to Detective Superintendent Jane Doherty, head of the New South Wales state Sex Crimes Squad. “They had drinks and went for something to eat before going back to the young lady’s home,” Doherty told police.
She said police would allege that “the male assaulted the female a number of times whilst performing sexual acts upon her”. The International Cricket Council informed Sri Lanka’s cricket body of the allegations, and the board stated that it was monitoring the situation (ICC). “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,” it said in a statement