Sexual assault case against cricketer Dhanushka Gnatilaka postponed to collate evidence

A Sydney magistrate has stayed the rape case of Sri Lankan cricketer Dhanushka Gunatilaka so a police summary of the evidence can be compiled.

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A 31-year-old man has been charged with four counts of sexually assaulting a woman he met on the dating app Tinder while he was in Australia to play at the T20 World Cup last November.

Police say he returned to her home in the eastern suburbs of Rose Bay after drinking with her at a bar in Sydney’s CBD.

The woman claimed to have seen Gunatiraka violently strangling her during the assault and lying on the floor next to her bed despite asking for her life and to wear a condom. ing.

At Downing Center District Court, Magistrate Justice David Price has stayed the case until February 23 so police evidence can be summarized.

Mr Gunathilaka’s lawyer said his team “has not received any explanation”.

The cricketer has not appeared in court and is exempt from attending in February if represented by a lawyer.

His bail, subject to stringent reporting requirements and a curfew, is ongoing.

Cricketers are not allowed to contact women who are accusing them, nor are they allowed to use social media or dating apps.

He also gave up his passport and offered a $200,000 guarantee.

In November, detectives from the Sex Crimes Unit and the Eastern Suburbs formed a Veterans Special Forces unit to investigate the allegations.

Last year, Metropolitan Police Detective Jane Doherty said the cricketer was supported by the Sri Lanka Consulate.