The Sydney Magistrate today allowed the media to publish the facts of the case involving Sri Lanka cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the Magistrate granted permission after the suppression order imposed earlier on the media was lifted following an appeal before the courts today.

Danushka Gunathilaka, who is charged with four counts of sexual intercourse without consent, appeared before the courts via Video link.

Meanwhile, documents released by the court have revealed that the victim has accused the cricketer of choking her several times during the sexual assault.

According to the Fact Sheets of the New South Wales Police, at the woman’s home, Gunathilaka is accused of engaging in “forceful” sexual intercourse, during which he allegedly “put one hand around her neck for 20-30 seconds and choked her”.

“The complainant was too afraid to do anything,” the police facts state, alleging that he had choked her twice more.

On the third occasion, he had allegedly restricted her breathing for six seconds, before she “tried to remove the accused’s hand by grabbing his wrist, but the accused squeezed tighter around her neck for a further 10 seconds”.

“The complainant was clear that she did not consent to engage in sexual intercourse without a condom. Further, the complainant did not consent to sexual intercourse that involved choking,” the Police Fact Sheet revealed.

The New South Wales Police further said that the victim has attended a hospital where she underwent a sexual investigation kit and a brain scan to check for any injury resulting from the alleged repeated choking.

The Police Fact Sheets have also revealed that the pair were not known to each other beforehand and that Gunathilaka had encouraged the woman to come to Brisbane before the pair arranged to meet in person at Opera Bar in Sydney on November 2.

The pair stayed at the bar for half an hour, during which they consumed alcohol and then went to dinner, before catching a ferry to return to the victim’s house. The Police allege that whilst waiting for the ferry, the accused is said to have touched the victim in an inappropriate manner.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, lawyer Ananda Amaranath, who represented Gunathilaka in court on Monday, has withdrawn from the case. He said he had been retained by Sri Lanka Cricket and the Sri Lanka High Commission.

Defence barrister Sam Pararajasingham and solicitor Sara Black represented the player at the suppression hearing today.

Gunathilaka was arrested on Sunday morning before the Sri Lankan team’s departure, and charged with four counts of sexual intercourse without consent. He was refused bail during a closed hearing on Monday in Downing Centre Local Court.

The case will be taken up again on 12 January 2023, while it is reported that prior to that a bail application is to be forwarded.

With inputs from : https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/sri-lankan-cricketer-accused-of-choking-stealthing-woman-from-tinder-20221109-p5bwt6.html