{"id":25411,"date":"2025-07-27T06:51:10","date_gmt":"2025-07-27T06:51:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/25411\/"},"modified":"2025-07-27T06:51:10","modified_gmt":"2025-07-27T06:51:10","slug":"cricket-star-jokes-about-sexual-assault-trial-he-faced-in-sydney-as-he-goes-instagram-official-with-his-new-love","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/25411\/","title":{"rendered":"Cricket star jokes about sexual assault trial he faced in Sydney as he goes Instagram official with his new love"},"content":{"rendered":"

Star was found not guilty of offence in September 2023Was stuck in Australia for almost a year during legal battle\u00a0<\/p>\n

By SHAYNE BUGDEN FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA<\/a> <\/p>\n

Published: 02:16 EDT, 27 July 2025 | Updated: 02:23 EDT, 27 July 2025 <\/p>\n

An international cricketer who was found not guilty of sexually assaulting his Tinder date in Sydney<\/a> has poked fun at the case while going Instagram official with his new partner.<\/p>\n

Sri Lankan star\u00a0Danushka Gunathilaka was arrested in Sydney in November 2022 and charged with sexual assault without consent.<\/p>\n

Police alleged he had removed a condom without consent, also known as ‘stealthing’, during a sexual encounter with a woman he met on Tinder while he was in Sydney for the Cricket World Cup.<\/p>\n

Gunathilaka was found not guilty in a judge-only trial<\/a>\u00a0that finished in September 2023 and allowed to leave the country, with police pushing for an apprehended violence order to be taken out against him<\/a>\u00a0despite the verdict.<\/p>\n

On Saturday, the 34-year-old joked about needing a lawyer for a possible return to court as he debuted his new, unnamed girlfriend.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘I’m not sure what’s more terrifying, the wedding or the potential for a future court date. Send wine… and maybe a lawyer referral,’ he wrote alongside a series of photos of him with his new partner.<\/p>\n

His followers celebrated the news with comments like ‘looking beautiful together’ and ‘glad to see you like this again’.<\/p>\n

\"Cricket <\/p>\n

Cricket star Danushka Gunathilaka is pictured with his new partner in an Instagram post he made on Saturday<\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

The Sri Lankan batter joked about his trial for sexual assault in Sydney in the caption for the post (pictured). He was found not guilty in a judge-only trial<\/p>\n

\"Gunathilaka's <\/p>\n

Gunathilaka’s news appears to confirm he has broken up with the woman who supported him through the trial (pictured), which ended in September 2023\u00a0<\/p>\n

The post appears to make it official that\u00a0Gunathilaka has broken up with Celine, the woman who supported him during his trial in Sydney.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In her verdict, Judge Sarah Huggett found that while Gunathilaka told the woman he preferred not to wear a condom, he used one during the encounter and had consensual sex with the woman.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She also found that police who attempted to prosecute the cricket star acted ‘unreasonably’ and revealed she had ‘significant concerns’ about the prosecution case.<\/p>\n

‘I’m firmly of the opinion that if the prosecution had – before the proceedings were instituted – been in possession of evidence and all the relevant facts, it would not have been reasonable to institute the proceedings,’ she said.<\/p>\n

The top-order T20 batter was arrested and charged with four counts of sexual assault in November 2022 after the woman reported the matter to Bondi police.<\/p>\n

The court was told the woman told Mr Gunathilaka she would only agree to sex if he wore a condom, which he ‘grumbled’ about but ultimately agreed to.<\/p>\n

Notes from the woman’s first police interview indicate she told officers the condom was taken off ‘against her will’, allegations Mr Gunathilaka denied.<\/p>\n

During that interview, Judge Huggett said the woman failed to include ‘critical’ evidence she later provided to police in a statement some six months later.<\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

The 34-year-old star, who played eight Tests and 47 one-day internationals for Sri Lanka, was arrested in Sydney while he was in Australia for the 2022 World Cup<\/p>\n

\"Gunathilaka <\/p>\n

Gunathilaka appeared very happy with his new partner in the post (pictured)<\/p>\n

Ultimately, police only proceeded to trial on a single charge, that of stealthing, with charges relating to the alleged roughness of the sex being dropped.<\/p>\n

‘The deficiencies in the prosecution case of stealthing, remembering that the prosecution case was not one of rough or aggressive sexual intercourse, were apparent,’ Judge Huggett said.<\/p>\n

‘They were not the result of the factual findings made at trial … Nor were the deficiencies related simply to the credibility of the complainant.<\/p>\n

‘There were so many inherent issues and difficulties with the prosecution case that should have been obvious to the prosecution at the outset.’<\/p>\n

Judge Huggett ordered a certificate be issued to Mr Gunathilaka so he could be awarded costs.<\/p>\n

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