Former Australian rugby star sentenced to four years, nine months jail for sexual assault

RUGBY Former Australian rugby star sentenced to four years, nine months jail for sexual assault

Abigael Wafula 08:30 - 12.05.2023

The former Parramatta Eels star was the National Rugby League's Player of the Year in 2009 and 2014.

Former Australia rugby league star Jarryd Hayne has been jailed today, Friday, May 12 for four years and nine months for sexually assaulting a woman in 2018.

The 35-year-old, best known outside Australia for a brief career in America's NFL, was convicted earlier this month in his third trial in the case.

As reported by AFP, Hayne had denied sexually assaulting the woman at her home in Newcastle, north of Sydney. He will be eligible for parole in May 2025 because of the time already served.

Judge Graham Turnbull noted that Hayne had shown little contrition but was seeming of "low risk of reoffending".

After his first trial ended with a hung jury, Hayne was convicted in a second trial in 2021 and sentenced to a maximum of five years and nine months. But that was overturned on appeal last year, leading to another trial.

ABC News revealed that last month, a jury found Hayne guilty of two counts of sexual intercourse without consent. The charges reflected two forms of sexual activity – oral and digital penetration – which took place on the weekend of the 2018 NRL grand final.

Hayne had been in Newcastle for a friend's bucks party and caught a taxi to the woman's home on his way back to Sydney. It was found Hayne persisted for 30 seconds despite the victim saying "no" and "stop".

According to reports, his wife, Amellia Bonnici was not present at the sentence hearing on Monday, May 8 or the verdict today.

The former Parramatta Eels star was the National Rugby League's Player of the Year in 2009 and 2014. He was capped 12 times by Australia and four times by Fiji, where his father comes from, as well as representing Fiji in rugby sevens.

Hayne attempted a career in the NFL in 2015 as a kick returner and running back, but experienced only fleeting success during a tough first season with the San Francisco 49ers. He played eight times, making 79 yards and scoring no touchdowns.

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