Former NFL and Australian rugby player Jarryd Hayne jailed ahead of sentencing
By Ben Morse, CNN
Former Australian rugby and NFL player Jarryd Hayne has been jailed ahead of his sentencing hearing after being found guilty of raping a woman in 2018.
Hayne had his bail revoked by the New South Wales Supreme Court on Friday.
Earlier this month Hayne had been found guilty by a jury of two counts of sexual intercourse without consent.
According to court papers, NSW Supreme Court Judge Richard Button called it “remarkable” that he has remained on bail, overturning a lower court ruling that said Hayne was too famous to be detained before sentencing.
He described the 35-year-old’s imprisonment as “inevitable.”
“The presumption of innocence has been overcome….and, for all purposes within the criminal justice system, it is established that Mr. Hayne is a person who committed two extremely grave sexual offences,” he said.
He is due to face a sentencing hearing on May 8, according to CNN affiliate 7News.
In a statement to CNN, Hayne’s barrister Margaret Cunneen said that jury did not understand the standard of proof. “Justice will prevail in the end,” she said.
April’s trial was the third time Hayne had faced a jury for the incident. In his first appearance, a retrial was ordered after it ended in a hung trial. He was then tried a second time and, in March 2021, Hayne was found guilty of two counts of sexual intercourse without consent.
The court found that he had traveled to the woman’s house on September 30, 2018, and while his taxi waited outside, Hayne assaulted the woman while she told him “no” and “stop.”
According to the court’s findings, Hayne’s “actions were forceful and rough.” The victim was said to have “felt overwhelmed by the physical disparity and the speed with which the offender assaulted her.”
As a result of Hayne’s actions, the victim suffered injuries and bleeding in her groin area, according to the court.
At the time, he was sentenced to five years and nine months in prison, with a minimum time served of three years and eight months before being eligible for parole.
After Hayne had spent nine months in prison, an appeals court overturned his convictions and ordered a third trial, after which he was again found guilty of rape.
Hayne is one of the National Rugby League’s most famous players, having won numerous awards for his success on the field.
He also had a brief spell in the NFL in the US, playing as a running back for the San Francisco 49ers in 2015.
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