Danushka Gunathilaka, a cricketer for Sri Lanka, was detained early yesterday in his Sydney hotel and has since been charged with sexually assaulting a woman.
After learning that a 29-year-old woman had been sexually assaulted earlier in the week at a Rose Bay residence in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, police said detectives launched an inquiry on Saturday.
They claimed that after speaking with Gunathilaka on a dating app for several days before to the assault on Wednesday, the woman met him while he was in Sydney for the Twenty20 World Cup.
According to New South Wales police, the 31-year-old player was accused of four charges of having sex against his will. He was denied bail to appear via video connection at Parramatta Bail Court and is scheduled to appear in court today.
The woman took precautions to ensure her safety, including emailing with the man for a number of days before to meeting and going on a date in a public location, according to State Police Sex Crimes Squad Commander Jayne Doherty.
“Just unlucky, that is. Nothing at all to do with meeting on a dating app, “Doherty remarked.
Gunathilaka travelled to Australia with Sri Lanka’s T20 World Cup team but only participated in the team’s first match, a defeat to Namibia in the qualifying round, before being eliminated from the tournament with a torn hamstring.
Sri Lanka Cricket said in a statement on Sunday that it had been informed of the allegations and would closely follow the court proceedings.
The statement read, “We will swiftly launch a thorough investigation into the situation and take serious measures against the player if found guilty (in cooperation with the International Cricket Council),”
The left-handed batter has participated in eight Test matches in addition to approximately 100 T20 and one-day internationals for Sri Lanka.
At the T20 World Cup, Sri Lanka lost its final group match to England on Saturday, and on Sunday, it returned home.
Cricketer from Sri Lanka accused of sexual assault in Sydney
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