Danushka Gunathilaka cleared of sexual assault charges by Sydney court

Sri Lanka batter Danushka Gunathilaka was found not guilty of sexually assaulting a Tinder date while on tour with his team for the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia last year. His date had accused him of "stealthing," which implies that he removed his condom during sex without the women's consent.

Judge Sarah Huggett acquitted the cricketer in Sydney's Downing Centre District Court on Thursday (September 28)

"The evidence establishes that there was no opportunity for the accused to remove the condom during intercourse because that intercourse was continuous," the judge said in handing down the verdict," Judge Huggett said.

"I find that the evidence regarding the complaint far from supports the complainant. Rather, it undermines the reliability of her evidence," she said.

Gunathilaka met his date at Opera Bar in Sydney after Sri Lanka's T20 World Cup 2022 campaign came to an end before grabbing a bite to eat and then took a ferry to the woman's home in the eastern suburbs. The woman accused the 32-year-old of slapping her on the buttocks, forcefully kissing her and bruising her lips, and choking her during sex.

Gunathilaka was initially booked for four charges after the police arrested him from the Hyatt Regency hotel a few hours before the Sri Lankan team was due to fly back home. The prosecutors then got three of the four charges dropped.

While Gunathilaka always maintained his innocence and did not indulge in "stealthing", the judge was not impressed with the woman constantly changing her story. In fact, the police officers who spoke to the woman after the incident were also questioned for the way they handled the case, including omitting crucial details, throwing out notes and potentially contaminating witnesses.

Gunathilaka, who has played over 100 international games for Sri Lanka since making his debut in 2015, was out on bail during the trial but has not been allowed to return to the side or return to his hometown, Colombo.