Sri Lankan cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka was granted bail by Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court on Thursday (November 17) while awaiting trial on rape charges. The 31-year-old batter is facing 4 counts of sexual intercourse without consent and has not yet entered a plea.
However, he has been banned from using Tinder and his social media accounts after being accused of sexual assault by an Australian woman he met on a dating app.
He was arrested on October 6 at Sydney’s Hyatt Regency hotel, where he was staying while the Sri Lankan cricket team was participating in the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia.
Gunathilaka has been behind bars for 11 days on the rape charges. Magistrate Janet Wahlquist granted the Sri Lankan cricketer bail on Thursday in Sydney’s Downing Center local court, where he appeared via audio-visual link from Parklea jail.
However, the batter was given bail on various conditions, including a $150,000 surety posted by an undisclosed person, the surrender of his passport, twice-daily police reporting, a curfew from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., not contacting the complainant, and a ban on accessing social media accounts.
An ESPNcricinfo report stated: “Magistrate Janet Wahlquist granted Gunathilaka bail on Thursday in Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court, where he appeared via an audiovisual link from Parklea jail. Police prosecutor Kerry-Ann McKinnon opposed bail on the grounds Gunathilaka is a flight risk and that he could endanger the safety of the complainant, who cannot be identified for legal reasons.”
Murugan Thangaraj SC stated: “Of course, he would be on bail in these circumstances.”
The case will return to court on January 12.
(With Reuters Inputs)
