Sri Lankan cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka charged with sexually assaulting a woman in Australia remained in jail on Monday after a court declined his bid for bail, reports UNB.
Gunathilaka was arrested early on Sunday at his Sydney hotel and was charged with four counts of sexual intercourse without consent. The 31-year-old had traveled to Australia as part of Sri Lanka’s T20 World Cup team.
Under Australian court rules, not all details of the case can be reported.
At the Downing Centre Local Court, Magistrate Robert Williams noted Gunathilaka had no criminal history.
But the cricketer's application for release was later refused by the court.
Outside the court, defense lawyer Ananda Amaranath said the decision was disappointing and his client was considering appealing to the New South Wales state Supreme Court.
Gunathilaka's bail application was made in a closed court, after the police prosecutor lodged an application to prevent publication of the facts of the case and the indictment against him.
The motion to suppress was opposed by Amaranath and Stephen Coombs, the senior legal counsel for Nationwide News. The pair made similar arguments — that the victim’s name was already prevented from being made public, and further suppression orders were contrary to open justice.
But the judge decided to grant an interim order closing the court from public scrutiny on Monday. That order will be reconsidered on Wednesday.
The cricketer had spent a night in custody at the Surry Hills Police Station before appearing in handcuffs and a grey T-shirt via video link at the court.
“Yes sir,” he told the court when asked if his video link was working.
Gunathilaka travelled to Australia with Sri Lanka’s T20 World Cup team but only played in the team’s first game, a loss against Namibia, before being ruled out of the competition with a hamstring tear.
Bd-pratidin English/Tanvir Raihan
