A judge has told ex-NRL star Jarryd Hayne that jail time is “inevitable” after he was found guilty of sexually assaulting a 26-year-old woman on the night of the 2018 NRL Grand Final, News Corp reports.
On Monday afternoon, Hayne, 33, was found guilty of two counts of sexual intercourse without consent, but found not guilty of the more serious charge of aggravated sexual intercourse without consent, recklessly inflicting actual bodily harm.
The maximum penalty for such convictions is 14 years in prison, but he won’t be sentenced until a May 6 hearing at the Newcastle District Court.
Jarryd Hayne is definitely going to jail. Judge has told him a custodial sentence is certain. Maximum pen is 14 years. He’ll face a sentence hearing in 6 weeks before he is sentenced at a later date. Crown applied for him to be taken into custody today. But he was granted bail
— Steve Zemek (@stevezemek) March 22, 2021
The judge actually proposed revoking Hayne’s bail so that he’d remain in custody until the May 6 trial, The Sydney Morning Herald reports, however his lawyer successfully managed to argue for him to be let out for the time being on a $50,000 bail so he could sort out his family’s accommodation and undergo psychological tests.
Hayne’s current bail conditions stipulate that he can’t leave the NSW Central Coast and must report to police daily.
In her evidence to the court, the woman in question said she felt “like an object… degraded and upset and angry” when Hayne sexually assaulted her after she turned down an offer to have sex.
In a text message shortly after the incident, she told a friend that Hayne had been “so rough that blood started pouring all over the bed because he tore my vagina.”
When his sentence was finally ready out on Monday afternoon, Hayne barely reacted. He simply nodded twice and looked over at his supporters in the public gallery.
Help is available.
If you require immediate assistance, please call 000.
If you’d like to speak to someone about sexual violence, please call the 1800 Respect hotline on 1800 737 732 or chat online.
Under 25? You can reach Kids Helpline at 1800 55 1800 or chat online.
