Jarryd Hayne gets a boost in his fight to overturn conviction for raping woman on big night
- Jarryd Hayne gets hearing date in fight for freedom
- The former football star will appeal against his conviction on April 3
- Two-time Dally M winner found guilty of rape last year
Disgraced former NRL star Jarryd Hayne will fight to clear his name in weeks after being convicted of raping a woman in her home on the big final night more than five years ago.
The two-time Dally M winner was found guilty of sexually assaulting the woman at her home in Newcastle in the NSW Hunter Region following a high-profile trial in the NSW District Court last year.
He was sentenced to four years and nine months in prison over the incident, but will be eligible for parole in May 2025 due to the time he has already served in custody.
After his conviction by the jury last year, both Hayne and his barrister Margaret Cunneen SC indicated outside court that they would appeal the verdict.
Moments after learning his fate and walking out of court hand-in-hand with his wife Amellia Bonnici, Hayne held back tears as he told the media he “continues to stand for the truth.”
Jarryd Hayne has been given a date to appeal his conviction
The disgraced NRL star was found guilty of two counts of sexual intercourse without consent
When asked if he maintained his innocence, he said “100 percent.”
“I never lied to the police, I never deleted evidence, I never hid witnesses. Do the math,” Hayne said at the time.
When asked if he thought he had received a fair trial, he declined to comment.
‘Did I lie? Did I lie? That is factual evidence,” he said.
Ms Cunneen argued at the time that the conviction sentence was ‘unreasonable and unjustified’ and ‘not supported by evidence’.
The April 3 hearing date was confirmed by the Court of Criminal Appeal on Thursday.
The hearing will last three to four hours, with Hayne appealing the conviction based on evidence that emerged during the trial.
He will call into the courtroom via an audiovisual connection for the hearing.
The former football star has faced three trials over the 2018 rape and is currently in prison
The appeal marks Hayne’s second attempt to overturn his rape conviction at the Court of Criminal Appeal.
The former American football player has faced three trials over the 2018 rape, the first of which ended when the jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict in 2020.
He was found guilty and convicted of two counts of sexual intercourse without consent after a second trial in March 2021.
The former full-back was sentenced to five years and nine months in prison, which he successfully appealed to the Court of Criminal Appeal.
The court ordered a new trial in 2023, which led to a jury returning a guilty verdict on two counts of sexual intercourse without consent.
Hayne hopes his conviction will be overturned for a second time when he returns to the state’s highest court later this year.