Former NRL star Jarryd Hayne back in court next week to appeal rape conviction

Jarryd Hayne at Newcastle District Court on May 6. Photo / Getty Images

Convicted sex offender and former National Rugby League star Jarryd Hayne will return to court next week as he launches an appeal against his rape conviction.

The 33-year-old was last month jailed for five years and nine months by District Court Judge Helen Syme after a jury found him guilty of two charges of sexual assault against a woman, then 26, inside her Newcastle home in September 2018.

After a jury in March found him guilty, Hayne flagged his intention to appeal his conviction.

"I'll definitely appeal," he said shortly after the jury handed down its decision. He added: "I'd rather go to jail knowing I spoke the truth than be a free man living a lie."

During his sentencing at the Newcastle District Court in May, Hayne continued to profess his innocence.

His first trial in Newcastle last year ended in a hung jury but he was found guilty after a second trial in Sydney's Downing Centre District Court this year.

Hayne had pleaded not guilty but the jury accepted the evidence of the victim, who said that she did not consent to the ex-NFL convert performing oral and digital sex on her in her bedroom on NRL grand final night in October 2019.

She was left with two lacerations on her vagina which bled profusely.

Hayne insisted her injuries were an accident and apologised.

During her evidence, the woman said she refused to consent to sex because the ex-Parramatta fullback — who was in Newcastle for a two-day buck's party — had a taxi waiting outside.

It is not yet known what the grounds of Hayne's appeal will be. Hayne had 12 months after his conviction to launch an appeal.

The matter is listed to appear in the NSW Criminal Court of Appeal on Thursday next week.