Sri Lankan Cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka 'Choked' Sydney Woman During 'Sexual Assault': Report

Danushka Gunathilaka, who was with the national squad for T20 World Cup in Australia, got arrested in Sydney for sexual assault charges on Sunday.

Sri Lanka's Danushka Gunathilaka playing a shot during the first one-day international (ODI) cricket match

Source : AFP

New Delhi: Sri Lankan batsman Danushka Gunathilaka, who was banned from all forms of cricket for sexual assault charges, choked the woman so hard she required a brain scan to check for injury, as reported by news agency AFP.

Danushka got arrested in Sydney for sexual assault charges on Sunday. He was with the national squad for T20 World Cup in Australia. But he was ruled out from the mega event due to an injury.

In Sydney, a woman has alleged that Danushka raped her. According to prosecution documents made public on Wednesday, the woman told the police that her meeting with a 31-year-old player turned into a nightmare in which she feared her life.

Citing the documents sealed without the court, the local media report said on Wednesday that the woman accused Danushka of sexually assaulting her several times in Australia and she alleged that at one point, choked so forcefully she "feared for her life".

“The complainant tried to remove the accused’s hand by grabbing his wrist, but the accused squeezed tighter around her neck,” Australian media reports said quoting police documents.

“The complainant was fearing for her life and could not get away from the accused.

“She continually tried to pull away from the accused, a clear indication that she was not consenting.” The next hearing in the case is set for January 12.

The sexual assault was reported at a property in Rose Bay earlier in the week.

"The woman met with the man after communicating with him for a number of days via an online dating application; it's alleged he then sexually assaulted her on the evening of November 2, 2022. As part of ongoing investigations, a crime scene examination was undertaken by specialist police at an address in Rose Bay yesterday. Following further inquiries, a 31-year-old man was arrested at a hotel on Sussex Street, Sydney, shortly before 1 am today (Sunday, November 6, 2022)," said a New South Wales police statement as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

"He was taken to Sydney City Police Station and charged with four counts of sexual intercourse without consent. The Sri Lankan national was refused bail to appear at Parramatta Bail Court via AVL [audio visual links] today," the statement further said.

Due to a hamstring injury, he was forced to withdraw from the T20 World Cup in the preliminary round. He was replaced in the lineup, but he stayed in Australia with the team. Since making his debut in November 2015, he has played for Sri Lanka in eight Tests, 47 ODIs, and 46 T20Is.

He played against Namibia in the first-round match of the ongoing T20 World Cup and scored a duck.

After losing to England at the Sydney Cricket Ground in their final group match, Sri Lanka crashed out of the tournament on Sunday.