Police drop three of four sexual assault charges against Danushka Gunathilaka

Sri Lankan all-rounder Danushka Gunathilaka, who had several charges of sexual assault against him, has inched towards a big positive in the courtroom. The 32-year-old had allegedly sexually assaulted a woman inside her Sydney home. However, the allegations seemed to be to no avail, as he had several of those charges dropped. 

He had appeared before the Downing Centre Local Court on four charges of sexual assault following his arrest in 2022 during the T20 World Cup in Australia. The authorities claimed that Gunathilaka had matched with a woman on a dating app and had maintained contact with her before meeting her on November 2, 2022. 

Lawyer Alen Sahinovic told the court that three of the four charges against the Sri Lankan international have been dropped, with just one charge against him remaining. Gunathilaka and the woman (victim), who was not named, had drinks in the Sydney CBD before they went back to her place in the city’s eastern suburbs.

Furthermore, a police fact sheet also reportedly stated that the woman "was fearing for her life and could not get away from the accused" when the incident occurred back in November 2022.

It is also worth noting that Gunathilaka was arrested early on the morning of November 6, 2022. He was taken in by the authorities at Sydney’s Hyatt Regency Hotel, right before he was scheduled to take a flight back to Sri Lanka after the team was eliminated from the T20 World Cup. He only played one game in the tournament before he was rendered out of contention due to a hamstring tear. Several reports stated that the 32-year-old is set to reappear in court for a plea on July 13. 

He had also previously surrendered his passport after the arrest and was ordered not to go to any international departure point after being released on a $200,000 surety by the Downing Court.