Sri Lankan cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka is scheduled to stand trial next week, in Sydney Court facing allegations of sexual assault against a woman inside her residence in the eastern suburbs.
On Thursday, lawyers representing the 32-year-old appeared before the Downing Centre District Court, as Gunathilaka prepares for a judge-alone trial set to commence on Monday.
According to the police, the international cricket star had matched with a woman on a dating app and engaged in several conversations before they met on November 2nd of the previous year, when the alleged incident occurred.
The two had drinks in the city before returning to the woman’s eastern suburbs home around 11 pm, where the alleged sexual assault is said to have taken place.
At the time of the incident, Gunathilaka was in Australia participating in the T20 World Cup. He had been granted an expedited trial to facilitate his return to Sri Lanka promptly, should he be acquitted.
Earlier this year, Gunathilaka entered a plea of not guilty to a charge of sexual intercourse without consent.
The trial is expected to span three to four days and will involve the assistance of a Sinhalese interpreter, as indicated during Thursday’s court proceedings.