Gunathilaka Suspended: Serial offender Danushka Gunathilaka is in trouble again. This time, he is in a big mess. SriLanka Cricket has suspended him from all forms of cricket with immediate effect following his arrest in Melbourne. He has been accused of rape and sexual assault. On Monday, he appeared in court for a bail plea. However, Downing Centre Local Court in Sydney denied his bail. Following that, SLC has now launched an internal inquiry. Follow ICC T20 World Cup 2022 LIVE Updates on InsideSport.IN.
SLC Full Statement:
The Executive Committee of Sri Lanka Cricket decided to suspend national player Danushka Gunathilaka from all forms of cricket with immediate effect and will not consider him for any selections after being informed that Mr. Gunathilaka was arrested and charged with sexual assault of a woman in Australia.
Furthermore, Sri Lanka Cricket will take the necessary steps to promptly carry out an inquiry into the alleged offense, and, upon conclusion of the aforementioned court case in Australia, steps will be taken to penalize the said player if found guilty.
Sri Lanka Cricket wishes to emphasize that it adopts a “zero tolerance” policy for any such conduct by a player and will provide all the required support to the Australian law enforcement authorities to carry out an impartial inquiry into the incident.
Gunathilaka Suspended: Danushka Gunathilaka denied BAIL, SLC suspends cricketer indefinitely after being accused of rape, launches internal inquiry, Follow LIVE Updates
Gunathilaka’s troubled past:
- This is not the first time Gunathilaka has been under the scanner.
- In 2017, SLC suspended him for six games. He missed training and appeared for a match without any cricket gear.
- In 2018, one of his close friends was accused of raping a Norweigian woman in Colombo. Police questioned the cricketer in connection with the crime.
- In 2021, SLC suspended him for a year for breaking Covid-19 restrictions in England.
- While Gunathilaka was ruled out following an injury, SLC wants to know why he was not sent back to Colombo.
What are the charges against Gunathilaka?
New South Wales state police said on Sunday sex crimes squad detectives had investigated the alleged sexual assault of a woman in Sydney. Police said the pair met after communicating for several days on a dating app. Detective Superintendent Jane Doherty said the pair had then arranged to meet.
“They had drinks and went for something to eat before going back to the young lady’s home,” Doherty told police. She said police would allege that “the male assaulted the female a number of times whilst performing sexual acts upon her.”
Gunathilaka Suspended: Danushka Gunathilaka denied BAIL, SLC suspends cricketer indefinitely after being accused of rape, launches internal inquiry, Follow LIVE Updates
What happened in court?
He attended the hearing via a video link in Downing Centre Local Court from Surry Hills cells. The 31-year-old Gunathilaka was arrested in the wee hours of Sunday following an investigation into the alleged sexual assault of a woman on November 2.
According to a report in ‘Sydney Morning Herald’, Gunathilaka was handcuffed and wearing a grey T-shirt, blue jeans and thongs during his virtual hearing. His lawyer Ananda Amaranath made a bail application during the “closed court” hearing. But magistrate Robert Williams refused bail, the report said.
“Certainly, we are considering an application to the Supreme Court. That will be done as soon as possible. He’ll be disappointed, clearly,” Amaranth was quoted as saying in the report.
The Sri Lankan team had left Australia without Gunathilaka after being eliminated from the T20 World Cup on Saturday. Amaranath said he understood “some team officials remained in the country”.
He also said Gunathilaka has no family in Australia. The left-handed batter played against Namibia in the first-round match and was out for a duck. Later, he was ruled out of the tournament due to an injury even as the team qualified for the Super 12 stage.
The Lankan team finished fourth in Group 1. According to local media reports, Gunathilaka and the woman were in touch for a number of days after connecting via an online dating app. The arrest was made from a Sydney hotel just a few hours before the Sri Lankan team left Australia. The Sri Lankan government has asked SLC to conduct an immediate investigation. The SLC has made it clear it would take strict action against the player if found guilty.
Gunathilaka Suspended: Danushka Gunathilaka denied BAIL, SLC suspends cricketer indefinitely after being accused of rape, launches internal inquiry, Follow LIVE Updates
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