Danushka Gunathilaka cried during police interrogation after being detained for his rape case

Sri Lanka cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka reportedly began crying in front of police while being detained on the night when he allegedly raped a woman at her home in Sydney. The 32-year-old was seen crying in a recorded Police interview during his judge-alone trial in Downing Centre district court on Wednesday, September 20.

In the video played during his hearing, the cricketer is seen struggling to speak and wiping his eyes as he gives an account of the events. During his interrogation, Gunathilaka further denied kissing the alleged victim, slapping her buttocks, choking her on the bed, and having unprotected sex.

He further revealed that he met the woman at the Opera Bar before going to get pizza in the Sydney CBD and returning to her home for drinks. According to a report in The Guardian, the court has heard that the duo first matched on the dating app ‘Tinder’.

The victim has alleged that Gunathilaka engaged in “stealthing” by removing his condom without her permission while having sex at her eastern suburbs home on 2 November 2022. The Sri Lankan cricketer has pleaded not guilty to one count of sexual intercourse without consent.

Earlier, in July, the Gunathilaka appeared in the court to apply for a judge-alone trial. His lawyer Murugan Thangaraj SC also requested the court to fast-track the trial via another application so that his client could return to his home country as soon as possible, if found not guilty. The court had also agreed that the cricketer has been diagnosed with severe clinical depression, which has been worsened by the ongoing legal proceedings and the media coverage of the case.

Gunathilaka was arrested in November 2022 during T20 World Cup 2022

Notably, Gunathilaka was arrested on 6 November 2022 in a lift at Sydney’s Hyatt Regency hours before the Sri Lankan cricket team was about to fly out. The 32-year-old has been stranded in Australia since he was arrested over accusations of sexual assault last year and had to surrender his passport.