Sydney court has relaxed the bail conditions for Sri Lankan cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka, who was accused of sexual assault in November 2022. Gunathilaka will be allowed to use Whatsapp and go out at night. The Court had disallowed the Lankan batter to access social media without the presence of his legal team and also imposed a night-time curfew.
For the latest cricket news download the SportsTiger app
Gunathilaka was part of the Sri Lankan team during the 2022 T20 World Cup when he was arrested on Sussex Street, Sydney on November 6. He was ruled out of the tournament with a hamstring complaint early but still remained with the squad as a backup. He was accused by a 29-year-old woman of sexual assault after they matched on Tinder. The 31-year-old was charged with four counts of sexual intercourse without consent and wasn’t given bail in the Local Court on November 7, 2022.
In this most recent hearing, crown prosecutor George Rixon stated the night-time curfew was important for reducing the risk of offending based on the allegations made in the complainant's statement, specifically, Gunathilaka's "aggressive sexual behaviour" against her.
But magistrate Atkinson was "not satisfied today that it is necessary to keep the curfew in place", and that "there's nothing unique about [the alleged offences] that it would have occurred at night and couldn't occur during the day".
Danushka Gunathilaka was granted leave as he was living in a one-bedroom apartment in Sydney before Christmas last year. He has already surrendered his passport and has been prohibited to approach any international departure point under his bail. The Sri Lankan was also asked to report to the police every day and abide by a nightly curfew. Gunathilaka’s case is set to return to court in April.
Download SportsTiger app for the latest sports news and updates
