During the 11-day New South Wales District Court trial, Crown prosecutor John Sfinas argued that the woman was sexually assaulted after Hayne stopped by her house on the outskirts of Newcastle on September 30, on his way back to Sydney from a boozy buck’s weekend.
He told the jury the woman decided she did not want to have sex with Hayne after she realised a taxi was waiting outside.
Jarryd Hayne with his wife Amellia and lawyer Margaret Cunneen. Photo / news.com.au
But Hayne told the court the acts were consensual - he was “shocked” when he realised he was covered in the woman’s blood and said he accidentally clipped her with his finger.
His defence barrister Margaret Cunneen SC argued the woman did not say no, was attracted to Hayne and conscious of his fame and status. She submitted she would not have texted him afterwards saying she wanted him to stay if she had just been assaulted.
The jury of six men and six women retired to deliberate about 3.30pm on March 27 and reached the verdict at 3.45pm eight days later.
The incident
The trial heard the pair had chatted on social media for two weeks leading up to September 30 but had not met in person.
It heard Hayne had invited the woman to meet him out the night before while he was at a party during the buck’s weekend, but she did not want to go because it was all men, and instead invited him for coffee or breakfast the next morning.
But Hayne continued to drink throughout the next day, the trial heard, and eventually texted the woman to say he could drop by her place in Fletcher on the Sunday night.
When he arrived shortly after 9pm, he left a half-empty vodka cruiser on the woman’s letterbox.
He told the jury her mother had answered the door, but the prosecution submitted that did not happen.
According to Hayne’s version of events given in his evidence, the mother directed him straight to the bedroom, where he felt awkward as the woman was shy, despite having sent sexual and suggestive texts.
He claimed he tried to break the ice by putting a few of his “go-to” songs on YouTube, including Ed Sheeran’s cover of Oasis’ song Wonderwall, before the woman noticed a taxi was waiting outside and was “filthy” about it.
A short time later, the taxi driver knocked on the door – as Hayne had told her he was only at the house to pick up a bag.
Hayne told the court he then went out to watch some of the NRL Grand Final with the woman’s mother before coming back into the bedroom, when the assault took place.
According to the prosecution, Hayne was in a rush to “get what he came for”, despite the woman having told him she did not want to have sex once she knew a taxi was sitting outside.
Hayne denied that, saying he only wanted to “pleasure” the woman once she decided not to have sex, but the prosecution said such an act would require time for the woman to feel pleasured.
According to the prosecution, after about 30 seconds of the sex acts, Hayne realised the woman was bleeding and cleaned himself up and left.
The court heard the woman was left with two lacerations and substantial bleeding.
Throughout the trial, Judge Turnbull had urged the jury to avoid stereotypes and preconceived ideas when making their decision.
This was the third time the two-time Dally M winner and ex-NFL convert had faced a jury over the assault.
He faced his first trial in Newcastle in 2020, but the jury could not reach a verdict, while he was convicted at a second trial in March 2021 and sent to prison for nine months until he successfully appealed the decision. The Court of Appeal quashed that conviction, and he walked free from prison on his 34th birthday - February 14, 2022.
Hayne made his NRL debut in 2006 and played 214 games between Parramatta and the Gold Coast.
At his peak, Hayne virtually guided Parramatta himself to the 2009 Grand Final - only to lose to the Melbourne Storm, who were later stripped of the premiership due to salary cap breaches.
In January 2021, he married his wife, Amelia, who has supported Hayne in person at his past two trials.
