NRL star Jarryd Hayne has been found guilty of sexual assault. He faces a significant prison term.

[Manfred Mann]

Jarryd Hayne, former super star of rugby league for Parramatta, New South Wales, and Australia, and later for Fiji in the World Cup, has been found guilty of sexual assault.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/nrl-star-jarryd-hayne-found-guilty-of-sexual-assault/news-story/dadb1a682d473eca37fa866dc3af0c43?utm_source=TheAustralian&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Editorial&utm_content=TABreakingNews&net_sub_id=@@@@@@@@@@&type=curated&position=1&overallPos=1&utm_source=TheAustralian&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=TA_BREAKING_CUR_01&utm_content=285690267&net_sub_uid=

 

THE AUSTRALIAN

NRL star Jarryd Hayne found guilty of sexual assault

 

 

 

Jarryd Hayne has been found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman at her Newcastle home in September 2018. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gaye Gerard

 

• STEVE ZEMEK

• NCA NEWSWIRE
• 2:03PM MARCH 17, 2021

Jarryd Hayne has emotionally declared outside of court “I spoke the truth” after a jury found him guilty of sexually assaulting a woman at her Newcastle home.

The NRL superstar also told reporters he would “definitely appeal”.

“I’d rather go to jail knowing I spoke the truth than be a free man living a lie,” he said outside court, sporting red eyes and hand-in-hand with his wife Amellia Bonnici.

 

“I’ve shown it from the start, It’s unfortunate, it’s disappointing. But at the end of the day they’ve come to the decision. I respect that and I’m back on the 6th of May.”

After three days of deliberating a jury on Monday afternoon found Hayne, 33, guilty of two counts of sexual intercourse without consent.

He was found not guilty of the more serious charges of aggravated sexual intercourse without consent, recklessly inflicting actual bodily harm.

Following a seven-day trial in Sydney’s Downing Centre District Court, the jury of seven men and five women found the two-time Dally M winner and ex-NFL convert guilty of the two alternative sex assault charges.

Hayne barely reacted as the verdict was read out by the jury, nodding twice and then looking over at a group of supporters in the public gallery.

Jarryd Hayne says he will definitely appeal. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Christian Gilles

The crown prosecution applied for Hayne to be taken into custody immediately.

But Mr Hayne’s barrister Richard Pontello SC successfully argued for him to be given bail on the condition he hand over a $50,000 surety.

Judge Syme granted bail so that he could organise accommodation for his family and for psychological reports to be compiled.

Hayne will now face a sentencing hearing on May 6 in Newcastle District Court.

He is facing a maximum possible sentence of 14 years in jail.

“A custodial sentence is inevitable,” Judge Syme said.

Hayne pleaded not guilty and denied sexually assaulting the then 26-year-old woman at her home at Fletcher, on Newcastle’s outskirts, in September, 2018.

His first trial in Newcastle last year ended in a hung jury, however the jury found him guilty of performing oral and digital sex on the woman without her consent.

During her evidence, which was replayed from Hayne’s first trial, the woman said she refused to consent to sex because the ex-Parramatta fullback had a taxi waiting outside.

Jarryd Hayne outside court following the guilty verdict. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Christian Gilles

He had been in Newcastle for a two-day buck’s party and had organised to pay a cab driver $550 to take him back to Sydney, where he was required to attend an event at Alexandria at midnight.

The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said when she heard the taxi beeping outside her bedroom window she resolved there was “no way” she was going to consent to sex.

“Like my heart dropped because I felt like he had only come there for one thing,” she said.

“Like why would you get (the taxi driver) to wait outside for you for 20 minutes.

“I felt saddened because I felt like he must have only seen me in one type of way.”

She said the presence of the taxi made her feel “like absolute ######” and “sad and stupid for flirting with him to start”.

Jarryd Hayne leaving Downing Centre Court with his wife Amellia Bonnici. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Christian Gilles

“I felt like — excuse my French — absolute s*** about him getting a taxi driver to wait outside for that amount of time because he’s coming over to have sex and leave,” she said.

“He doesn’t want to meet me or have a conversation.”

The pair had communicated via social media for several weeks leading up to the incident but had not met face to face before the evening of September 30 — the same night as the NRL grand final.

“I’m not gonna lie, I imagined what it would be like to be f***ing you when you started talking,” the woman said in a direct message to Hayne on Instagram.

Jarryd Hayne is facing a lengthy prison sentence after being found guilty of sexual assault. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Bianca De Marchi

Hayne was drinking on the taxi ride to the woman’s house and left the empty bottle of a pre-mixed alcoholic drink on the letterbox.

He said he went into the woman’s bedroom and lay on her bed where he attempted to serenade her by singing along to some of his “go-to” songs on YouTube, including an Ed Sheeran cover of Oasis’s Wonderwall.

According to the woman, he forcibly kissed her during and pushed her head into the pillow.

She described being overpowered by Hayne, who she said pulled off her jeans before sexually assaulting her despite her attempts to stop him.

She described his actions as being: “Forceful and fast, that’s why I can’t say for sure how the injury was done.”

The woman suffered two lacerations and began bleeding about 30 seconds into the sexual encounter.

A video recorded by the complainant, which was played to the jury, showed her bed and pillows covered in blood.

While Mr Hayne got up to wash his face in the bedroom’s ensuite, the woman got in the shower and said that the injury was “stinging like mad” as she watched the water run red down the drain.

Jarryd Hayne paid a $50,000 surety for bail following the verdict. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Christian Gilles

After asking if a $50 note on the bed was hers, he left on the trip to Sydney.

Soon after, the woman sent him a string of text messages saying “I am hurting so much” and “I know I’ve talked about sex and stuff so much but I didn’t want to do that after knowing the taxi was waiting for you”.

Mr Hayne replied: “Go doctor tomorrow.”

She also messaged another friend saying he was “rough” and that he “ended up getting his hand down there”.

“I said ‘stop’ and stuff and then I kind of just let it go because he was so into it and pushy,” she said.

“I just feel like I let it happen to myself by not screaming at him.”

[Manfred Mann]

https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/jarryd-haynes-us-rape-allegations/news-story/06bd5a0ea318c2d87b4d84abc0050564?utm_source=breaking_sportsmail&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=crm&utm_content=static

 

It’s not the first time Hayne was accused of rape. The US allegations made against star

Before he was found guilty of sexually assaulting a young woman, Jarryd Hayne was accused of rape while chasing his NFL dream in the US.

LEAGUE

 

 

• March 22, 2021 3:45pm
• by HEATH PARKES-HUPTON
• Source: NCA NewsWire

Jarryd Hayne has been accused of raping a woman during his NFL career

0:48

 

Former NRL superstar Jarryd Hayne’s now completed sexual assault trial was not the first time he has been accused of rape.

Hayne, a two-time Dally M medal winner and Parramatta Eels great, was on Monday found guilty of sexually assaulting a young woman at a home in Newcastle in 2018.

But the 33-year-old also faced serious sexual assault allegations from a US woman, who claimed he forced himself on her during his stint playing for the San Francisco 49ers in the NFL five years ago.

He was never charged, with police saying there was insufficient evidence for criminal action, but in 2017 the woman sued the football star in the US District Court.

Jarryd Hayne walks onto the field against the St Louis Rams in 2016 in Santa Clara, California. Picture: Ezra Shaw/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images

Hayne “unequivocally and vehemently” denied the accusations brought in Santa Clara County through his lawyers in Sydney.

The parties ended up settling the matter out of court for an undisclosed amount that was “mutually agreeable”.

Hayne was being sued for sexual battery, battery, gender violence, intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligence.

According to court documents filed in the US lawsuit, Hayne met a woman through mutual friends at a bar in California after a 49ers game on December 21, 2015.

 

The two later caught an Uber to his home in San Jose.

The former NRL superstar pleaded not guilty to sexual assault in his Australian rape case. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Christian GillesSource: News Corp Australia

The documents alleged the “heavily intoxicated” woman, aged in her 20s and known as JV, had little memory of arriving at his apartment.

Her next memory was of being in a bedroom and the silhouette of a man coming towards her.

She claimed he flipped her around and told her “no kissing” before she felt an “extremely sharp pain” in her vagina. The woman said she recognised the man’s voice as Hayne’s.

She woke naked and in a pool of blood the next day, the documents state.

The woman, whose identity is suppressed, was a devout Christian who claimed to have been saving her virginity for marriage.

Jarryd Hayne played one season in San Francisco. Picture: Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images The suit claimed Hayne engaged in non-consensual sexual intercourse with a ‘Ms V’ in December 2015. Picture: SuppliedSource: No Source

Her lawsuit claimed she and Hayne exchanged messages on Instagram with the woman asking what had happened to her, and the running back saying they had “hooked up”.

The court documents stated she experienced vaginal pain for several months after the alleged rape.

After months of anxiety, she reported the incident to San Jose police in May 2016, however, the district attorney ruled there was not enough evidence to prove her allegations.

Hayne had returned to Australia to restart his NRL career by the time the civil case was launched.

He shocked fans when revealing his decision to leave rugby league in 2014 to pursue a lifelong dream of playing in the NFL.

His tearful announcement came shortly after he had been named as the joint best player in the NRL, sharing that year’s Dally M medal with Johnathan Thurston.

Jarryd Hayne and Johnathan Thurston, the joint winners of the 2014 Dally M Award. Picture: Richard DobsonSource: News Corp Australia Hayne celebrates scoring for the Eels during his last season in the NRL in 2018. Picture: Jason McCawley/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images

Hayne was drafted to the 49ers and made eight NFL appearances during one season, but announced his retirement from the sport in May 2016 after being dropped from the franchise’s 53-man roster.

He then played for Fiji’s Rugby Sevens team before joining the Gold Coast Titans in 2016 and made an emotional return to Parramatta two years later.

In November 2018, he was charged with sexually assaulting a woman, then 26, on the night of that year’s grand final at a home on the outskirts of Newcastle.

He has not played professional sport since.

Following a seven-day trial before the Downing Centre District Court, Hayne was this week found guilty of two counts of sexual assault.

The recently married Hayne had pleaded not guilty and claimed the sexual interaction was consensual.

He was found not guilty of the more serious charge of aggravated sexual assault while recklessly inflicting actual bodily harm.

The former cross-code football star faces the possibility of serious jail time and will be sentenced on May 6.

[Newguy]

Is it possible to get bigger pictures in your post? I can't quite make out the photos.

[Tommygilf]

No two ways about that sadly, stupid acts where you don't listen have consequences

[Copa]

The tiles outside the Downing Centre Court look nice.

[Wellsy4HullFC]

"Sexual assault through intercourses without consent."

It's rape. Call it rape.

[Manfred Mann]

2 hours ago, Newguy said:

Is it possible to get bigger pictures in your post? I can't quite make out the photos.

I will see what I can do.

However, given the fact that you are a self described "Newguy," I feel obligated to advise you that you may solve your problem by making an appointment here:

[The Rocket]

More charges are expected to follow for Hayne`s attempts to serenade the young woman by "laying on the bed and singing along to some of his "go-to" songs on YouTube, including an Ed Sheeran cover of Oasis`s Wonderwall".

Obviously when that didn`t work Hayne decided more drastic action needed to be taken.

He`s all class, leaves a half finished drink on the letterbox ready for when he leaves.

[Manfred Mann]

2 hours ago, The Rocket said:

More charges are expected to follow for Hayne`s attempts to serenade the young woman by "laying on the bed and singing along to some of his "go-to" songs on YouTube, including an Ed Sheeran cover of Oasis`s Wonderwall".

Obviously when that didn`t work Hayne decided more drastic action needed to be taken.

He`s all class, leaves a half finished drink on the letterbox ready for when he leaves.

Are you suggesting that Ed Sheeran may file charges?

 

[Copa]

2 minutes ago, Wellsy4HullFC said:

"Sexual assault through intercourses without consent."

It's rape. Call it rape.

I may be wrong but i think "rape" is not an offence in NSW.  I think NSW has different types of "sexual assault" offences and many of these sexual assault offences cover what the community would call rape.

[The Rocket]

2 minutes ago, Manfred Mann said:

Are you suggesting that Ed Sheeran may file charges?

Probably either that or royalties, it was his "go-to" song, which suggests he`s sung it before. Bet you the new wife goes now as well, he probably only married her for the trial.

[Manfred Mann]

2 hours ago, The Rocket said:

Probably either that or royalties, it was his "go-to" song, which suggests he`s sung it before. Bet you the new wife goes now as well, he probably only married her for the trial.

No he didn't. Jarryd Hayne is a devout Christian in case you didn't know. He believes in the sanctity of marriage. He just allowed himself to be led astray by the evil drink.

 

Hillsong Church: “Jarryd Hayne’s Unborn Child Is A Result Of Immaculate Conception”

If you want to know more, read this important article from 2016, published in the renowned Australian newspaper of record, the Beetoota Advocate: 

https://www.betootaadvocate.com/headlines/hillsong-church-says-jarryd-haynes-unborn-child-is-a-result-of-immaculate-conception/

 

Jarryd Hayne used to preach to everyone he met in the US during his NLF period about the need to accept Jesus into your life. That may have been the reason why San Francisco 49ers dropped him from their 53 man playing roster.

[Man of Kent]

Could he sign for Leigh while he awaits sentencing?

[The Hallucinating Goose]

55 minutes ago, Copa said:

The tiles outside the Downing Centre Court look nice.

Extravagant aren't they? Must say I'm not a fan of that much glass on the front of a civic building, makes it look like a department store or a shopping centre from the 70s. 

[Farmduck]

57 minutes ago, Copa said:

The tiles outside the Downing Centre Court look nice.

That building used to be one of Sydney's ritziest department stores, Mark Foy's, built in 1909

 

2 minutes ago, The Hallucinating Goose said:

Extravagant aren't they? Must say I'm not a fan of that much glass on the front of a civic building, makes it look like a department store or a shopping centre from the 70s. 

see above.

[Farmduck]

Off-topic but I can't believe this is the second time I've used that piece of trivia in a week. I watched a video in YT about a foreign doctor in Sydney getting her registration paperwork sorted and someone commented how nice the building looked. It was also in the Downing Centre.

[The Hallucinating Goose]

21 minutes ago, Farmduck said:

That building used to be one of Sydney's ritziest department stores, Mark Foy's, built in 1909

 

see above.

Interesting! Just done some investigating and if you go on Google Street View you can stand on those extravagant tiles and they do indeed say Mark Foy's Ltd in the middle of them. All the shop frontages around the entrance looks empty, though there is a nice collection of wet floor signs in one of them! 

[ghost crayfish]

1 hour ago, Tommygilf said:

No two ways about that sadly, stupid acts where you don't listen have consequences

It wasn't a "stupid act", it was deliberate, aggressive, premeditated sexual assault.

[Manfred Mann]

I am sorry to have to be the bearer of bad tidings. But this court result means that Leigh's chances of retaining their place in Super League at the end of 2021 have just gotten even more unlikely.

[Tommygilf]

15 minutes ago, ghost crayfish said:

It wasn't a "stupid act", it was deliberate, aggressive, premeditated sexual assault.

They aren't mutually exclusive

[MattSantos]

Not a massive fan of the trivial nature of some of the above posts.

It's a very serious crime, treat it like one!

[Tonka]

How on earth has his fiancé stuck it out with him and married him this year!?

Even if she believes he didn't rape this girl, he still had sex with her.  I'm in the dog house if my hoovering is sub-par.

[Hughsehhh]

32 minutes ago, Tonka said:

How on earth has his fiancé stuck it out with him and married him this year!?

Even if she believes he didn't rape this girl, he still had sex with her.  I'm in the dog house if my hoovering is sub-par.

Agree with this.

However, for the pedants / french learners amongst us, it's fiancée (as it refers to the female).

I'll get my coat and beret 

[The Frying Scotsman]

4 hours ago, Wellsy4HullFC said:

"Sexual assault through intercourses without consent."

It's rape. Call it rape.

Maybe in Hull, but not in Scotland it isn't. It is a separate offence. The definition of rape (and sexual intercourse) under Scots Law are very clear. It appears to be the same in Australia. That is why it is sexual assault, but carries such a severe potential penalty.

I have no idea about the legal definitions in England, but you obviously know more about it than I do.

 

 

[Manfred Mann]

Jarryd Hayne has a Fijian father, Manoa Thompson, who played professional rugby league for South Sydney and the Auckland Warriors, but who abandoned the family at some point.  Jarryd was brought up by his Caucasian mother Jodie Hayne. He dropped out of high school to play rugby league.

It may well be that despite his sporting prowess, Jarryd Hayne’s difficulties in life were a result of his being raised without a father present. In any case this shameful criminal act resulted in a terrible fall from the heights of fame and fortune, to the depths of prison incarceration and ignominy.