The charges against Sri Lankan left-hand batter Danushka Gunathilaka get more serious after the reports revealed he tried to repeatedly choke the Sydney woman in an alleged rape attempt. According to the reports, the woman feared for her life and could not get away.
The woman alleged that she was sexually assaulted four times at her residence in Rose Bay on November 2, following a date with the player. Gunathilaka was in Australia as part of his national team for the ongoing T20 World Cup and met the woman via an online dating app.
The 31-year-old was arrested by police from the team hotel on Sunday. In the subsequent court hearing on Monday, Gunathilaka was denied bail and is staring at a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison.
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According to the Australian media reports revealing police documents, the alleged victim accused Gunathilaka of choking her several times during the sexual assault.
“The complainant tried to remove the accused’s hand by grabbing his wrist, but the accused squeezed tighter around her neck.”
“The complainant was fearing for her life and could not get away from the accused. She continually tried to pull away from the accused, a clear indication that she was not consenting,”
reports revealed.
Gunathilaka played one match during the first round of the T20 World Cup, after which he was ruled out due to an injury. However, he was kept with the squad while other injured players were sent home.
Following the incident, the Sri Lankan board suspended the left-hand batter from all forms of cricket. Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan government has asked the board to conduct an immediate and thorough investigation into the matter.
