In a shocking turn of events, Sri Lankan cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka has been charged with sexual assault after he was arrested at the Sri Lankan team’s hotel, according to Australian police.
The arrest charges came hours after Sri Lanka lost a T20 World Cup match against England.
At a news conference in Sydney, New South Wales Police Commander Jayne Doherty said that the Sri Lankan cricketer has been charged with four counts of “sexual intercourse without consent” against a 29-year-old woman in the city whom he met online.
The sexual assault was reported at a property in Rose Bay earlier in the week. Gunathilaka has been refused bail and is scheduled to appear in a Sydney court.
The New South Wales police stated, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo, “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.”
The officials added, “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.”
In response to the alleged criminal charges, SLC issued a statement.
“Sri Lanka Cricket confirms that it was notified by the ICC that player Danushka Gunathilaka has been arrested on the allegations of sexual assault of a woman in Sydney, and Mr. Gunathilaka is due to appear in court tomorrow (7 November 2022),” the statement said. “SLC will closely monitor the proceedings in court and, in consultation with the ICC, will expeditiously initiate a thorough inquiry into the matter and take stern action against the player if found guilty.”
For those unversed, Gunathilaka was earlier ruled out of the tournament due to injury. Gunathilaka played against Namibia in the first-round match of the ongoing T20 World Cup. Due to a hamstring injury, Gunathilaka withdrew in the preliminary round but he stayed in Australia with the team.
