Former NRL player Jarryd Hayne has been found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman at her home on the night of the 2018 NRL grand final.
In a retrial in the NSW District Court, a jury found Hayne not guilty of two counts of sexual intercourse without consent, recklessly inflicting bodily harm, but found him guilty of two other counts of sexual intercourse without consent, without the bodily harm element.
Hayne denied he assaulted the woman, and said their encounter was consensual, and that her injuries from the encounter were accidental, not recklessly inflicted.
The court heard that Hayne had taken a taxi to the woman’s house in Newcastle in 2018 after attending a bucks party and had asked the taxi driver to wait at the woman’s house while he went inside.
The Crown alleged Hayne sexually assaulted the woman in her bedroom while her mother was also in the house. It was alleged he became “rough” and caused the woman two injuries, before leaving less than hour later. He had been in contact with the woman through social media for about two weeks prior to meeting her at her home.
The woman testified that Hayne was “rough, forceful and inconsiderate” and that she had said “no” and “no Jarryd” before he took her jeans off. She said she was “numb” and the encounter was “forceful and fast”.
The jury, consisting of seven men and five women, deliberated for three days before coming to a decision on Monday. It is the second time a jury has deliberated on the case, with the first trial ending in December last year after a different jury was unable to come to a verdict.
Hayne was formally convicted on Monday, and will now face a sentencing hearing on May 6 in Newcastle.
Judge Helen Syme proposed he go into custody until he was sentenced, however Hayne offered a $50,000 surety and was granted bail.
If you or someone you know is impacted by family and domestic violence or sexual assault, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au.
In an emergency, call 000.