Danushka Gunathilaka produced before Sydney Court on charges of sexual assault

Sri Lankan cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka has reportedly appeared by 'video link in handcuffs' where he was produced before a Sydney court on Monday, November 7 for getting a bail after being charged of four counts of sexual assault. 

As per reports, a lawyer named Ananda Amaranath will be fighting for the senior batter in order to seek bail for him in this case. Gunathilaka was a part of the Sri Lankan squad that had participated in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia. 

How did Danushka Gunathilaka land himself in trouble?

According to reports, Danushka was arrested from the Sydney hotel on Sunday, November 6 and four counts of sexual intercourse without consent were pressed against him. 

Meanwhile, the New South Wales state police has said that the cricketer, as well as the woman, had met each other after communicating for many days on a dating app. 

Jane Doherty, who is the Detective Superintendent and the commander of the NSW state Sex Crimes Squad, said that the 31-year-old batter had sexually assaulted the woman multiple times. 

"They had drinks and went for something to eat before going back to the young lady's home," Doherty was quoted as saying by NDTV.

"The male assaulted the female a number of times whilst performing sexual acts upon her," she added.

Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan cricket board has warned of the dire consequences that Danushka Gunathilaka will have to face if he is found guilty in this incident. 

"SLC will closely monitor the proceedings in court and, in consultation with the ICC, will expeditiously initiate a thorough inquiry into the matter and take stern action against the player if found guilty,"  an official statement read.

Even though a hamstring injury had ruled Gunathilaka out in the first round, he remained with the Sri Lankan team in Australia for the rest of their tournament. While the reigning Asia Cup champions did make it to the Super 12 stage, they were just not good enough against the big teams like Australia, New Zealand and, England as a result of which they failed to make the last four.