Sri Lankan Cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka Arrested In Sydney On Charges Of Rape And Sexual Assault

Sri Lankan cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka was arrested in the early hours of Sunday morning by the Sydney police on the charges of rape and sexual assault of a 29-year-old woman.

The New South Wales police statement read, "The woman met with the man after communicating with him for a number of days via an online dating application; it's alleged he then sexually assaulted her on the evening of Wednesday 2 November 2022".

Gunathilaka was arrested from the team hotel before 1 AM on Sunday morning. He was taken to the Sydney City Police Station and charged with "four counts of sexual intercourse without consent." He was refused bail to appear at Parramatta Bail Court via audio-visual links on Sunday.

The Sri Lankan Cricket federation also released an official statement regarding Gunathilaka's arrest that read, "Sri Lanka Cricket confirms that it was notified by the ICC that player Danushka Gunathilaka has been arrested on the allegations of sexual assault of a woman in Sydney, and Mr. Gunathilaka is due to appear in court tomorrow (7 November 2022)."

Danushka Gunathilaka was part of the Sri Lankan roster that travelled to Australia for the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup but was ruled out due to a hamstring injury.

ALSO READ ICC T20 World Cup 2022: New Zealand Head To Semis; Australia Keep Hopes Alive After Narrow Win Against Afghanistan