The woman who claims she was tricked into having unsafe sex with a Sri Lankan cricketer has told a court there were moments during intercourse she “feared” for her life.
Danushka Gunathilaka is facing a judge-alone trial at the Downing Centre District Court after pleading not guilty to one charge of sexual assault without consent.
The international cricket player walked into the court complex holding hands with a blonde woman, who is not the complainant, ahead of the expected four-day trial in front of Judge Sarah Huggett on Monday morning.
He is facing trial over an incident on November 2 last year, where Crown Prosecutor Gabrielle Steedman told the court the 32-year-old met up with a woman at Sydney’s Opera Bar after matching on Tinder.
At the time, the batsman was in Australia to play in the T20 World Cup.
It is not in dispute that the pair had chatted several times through Tinder, Instagram, and a video call on WhatsApp on October 31 before their meeting three days later.
CCTV footage played to the court shows the pair hugging as they meet at Opera Bar, with further footage showing the pair kissing while waiting for a ferry back to the woman’s home.
The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, gave evidence via AVL on Monday, where she told the court the kiss was “forceful”. Foreign Media
