6-member committee appointed for Sri Lankan cricketer’s alleged sexual assault case

Sri Lankan Sports Minster Roshan Ranasinghe has announced an appointment of a new six-member panel to take action against the alleged misbehavior by Sri Lankan cricketer during the 20-20 World Cup held in Australia. 

A female retired judge Kusala Sarojini Weerawardena will lead the panel, the sports ministry said. This panel is created after the left-hand opener Danushka Gunathilaka was sent behind the bars in Sydney for rape charges after their elimination from the 20-20 World Cup. 

Gunathilaka was released on strictly conditional bail. He is currently in Sydney awaiting his trial which is scheduled to take place in early January. A three-member panel headed by a retired judge was appointed to probe the alleged misconduct of the all-rounder Chamika Karunaratne. 

He was suspended by the panel after he accepted his fault. He also got involved in the casino brawl in Brisbane. Karunaratne was given a year’s ban and was left out of the team which played Afghanistan last week. 

The 31-year-old was charged with four counts of four sexual assault and the bail was denied. Magistrate Robert Williams tried to suppress the details of the allegations and other elements of the case. 

Danushka Gunathilaka suspended from International Cricket

But the suppression was challenged by the Australian media, which have now reported details of the assault against the woman. Court documents by public broadcasters said that the pair connected on a dating app before meeting at a bar near Sydney’s Opera House on November 2.

“The complainant tried to remove the accused’s hand by grabbing his wrist but the accused squeezed tighter around her neck,” the police facts sheet says. “The complainant was fearing for her life and could not get away from the accused.”

She couldn’t breathe during an attempt at oral sex, the court documents claim. “She continually tried to pull away from the accused, a clear indication that she was not consenting.”

Then they traveled to the alleged women’s home and after several drinks, Gunathilika forced himself on her multiple times. Sri Lanka Cricket has suspended the batter from all forms of the game with immediate effect.