Former Australian rugby league star Jarryd Hayne has successfully won an appeal against his rape convictions, marking the beginning of yet another trial in the same case. The 36-year-old athlete was initially sentenced to three years in jail after being found guilty of sexual assault by a jury last year. Hayne has consistently maintained his innocence, claiming that the encounter in question was consensual. His case has been a subject of intense scrutiny, as he was once a prominent figure in Australia’s National Rugby League (NRL) and even had a brief stint in the NFL in the United States.
During the trial last year, the 26-year-old woman involved testified that she had communicated with Hayne via social media for two weeks before he visited her home in Newcastle following a bachelor party in 2018. She alleged that he assaulted her despite her objections, causing her injuries. Hayne’s legal team argued that specific text messages exchanged between the two hinted at her consent, leading to the decision to overturn the previous convictions.
The recent appeal was based on the claim that the trial judge erred in restricting the woman’s cross-examination regarding the text messages, ultimately resulting in a miscarriage of justice. However, only two out of three judges agreed with this argument, leading to the quashing of Hayne’s convictions. The possibility of a new trial now rests with the Director of Public Prosecutions.
This marks the third time that Hayne has been tried for the same case, with prior outcomes including a hung jury and a later-overturned guilty verdict. Throughout the legal battles, Hayne has spent significant time in jail, while the woman involved has undergone multiple rounds of questioning and cross-examination. Hayne’s professional accolades in the NRL, where he was awarded player of the year twice and represented Australia in international Tests, contrast sharply with the serious legal challenges he currently faces.
