The trial of former NRL player Jarryd Hayne over the alleged sexual assault of a woman in her home in Newcastle in 2018 has ended today with the jury discharged after being unable to reach a verdict, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.
The jury of eight men and four women deliberated for almost two days before they concluded that they would not be able to reach a unanimous or majority verdict, and “no amount of time and deliberation will be able to change this.”
“I told the truth, and we’ll do it again,” Hayne said as he left the court.
Hayne was charged with two counts of aggravated sexual intercourse without consent, recklessly inflicting actual bodily harm. He pleaded not guilty to the charges, his lawyer arguing that the alleged assault – which the court heard ended with a 26-year-old woman bleeding heavily from her genitals – was a consensual sexual encounter.
Throughout the trial, the court heard that Hayne and the alleged victim flirted with each other online before meeting on the night of September 30, with Hayne stopping at her home on the way to Sydney from a buck’s party, leaving his taxi waiting outside. He left her home 46 minutes after he arrived.
The woman testified that she did not want to have sex with Hayne, especially as he left his cab idling outside, which led her to feel “sad and stupid.”
She described the encounter as happening “pretty fast”. “I think I froze in a way. I can’t remember a massive struggle, it was just really confusing. He knew I didn’t want it, I said ‘no’.” Hayne testified that he knew she did not want to have sex, but that he wanted to gratify her in other ways.
Hayne’s defence barrister Phillip Boulten characterised the events as a case of Hayne’s sexual prowess being “terrible.”
“He was trying to please her sexually but it ended really badly,” Boulten stated said in his closing remarks. “It caused her a lot of pain, discomfort and grief – and to be frank, his sexual prowess turned out to be terrible. It was terrible.”
A doctor testified that the woman’s injuries, including two separate genital lacerations, were caused by “blunt-force” penetration and the sexual activity was “probably forceful.”
The woman sent a message to a friend on the night, saying her genitals looked “mangled.” “He was being so rough that blood started pouring all over the bed because he tore my vagina,” she added.
Later she texted the same friend: “I’m too scared to report it, he would have the money to ruin me, the last thing I need is my life in the public eye.”
The court also heard that Jarryd Hayne had told friends the woman was a “full-blown weirdo”, “a young cow just carrying on” and that he could sue her for defamation “easy.”
The matter is scheduled for a mention on December 16, when the court will learn how the case will proceed.
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.
