Sri Lankan cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka will stand trial in a Sydney court next week as he battles allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman inside her eastern suburbs home.
Lawyers representing the 32-year-old fronted the Downing Centre District Court on Thursday as Gunathilaka gets set to face a judge-alone trial starting Monday (18).
Police allege the international cricket star matched with a woman on a dating app and they chatted several times before they met on November 2 last year when the alleged offence occurred.
The pair had drinks in the city before they went back to the woman’s home in the eastern suburbs about 11.00pm when the alleged sexual assault occurred, according to police.
At the time, the batsman was in Australia to play in the ICC T20 World Cup.
Gunathilaka was previously granted an expedited trial so that he could return to Sri Lanka as soon as possible to resume his playing career if acquitted.
He, earlier this year, pleaded not guilty to one count of sexual intercourse without consent.
The trial is expected to last three to four days and he will be assisted by a Sinhalese interpreter, the court was told on Thursday.
Former State Minister Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pilleyan has been arrested by the CID in Batticaloa.
A person who carried a nine millimeter fire arm to the departure terminal of the Bandaranike International airport was arrested by airport police yesterday.
Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe has been summoned by the Bribery Commission following a statement he made supporting MP Chamara Sampath Dissanayake who is in custody.
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