Sri Lankan cricket international Danushka Gunathilaka has been found not guilty of raping a woman he met on a dating site during the south Asian team’s tour of Australia last November.
Gunathilaka and the woman met for drinks at a bar before having pizza together in downtown Sydney and catching a ferry to the woman’s home in the city’s eastern suburbs.
The woman accused him of various acts of aggression and violence. Police initially brought four charges against the 32-year-old, who was arrested at a city hotel just hours before Sri Lankan team was due to fly out of the country on Nov. 6.Gunathilaka maintained his innocence, pleading not guilty to one count of sexual intercourse without consent.
During the judge-alone trial, defense lawyers attacked the credibility of the woman, claiming her story shifted over time and that she edited her version of events to paint Gunathilaka as an aggressive person. Gunathilaka had been on bail during the trial but was unable to play international cricket or return to his hometown of Colombo in Sri Lanka.
He traveled to Australia with Sri Lanka’s Twenty20 World Cup squad last year but only played in the team’s first game before being ruled out of the tournament with a hamstring injury.The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business.
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