Jarryd Hayne shows off body transformation as he enjoys a coffee after being freed from prison again
Former rugby league player Jarryd Hayne has been given a fresh look, days after leaving prison following a successful appeal against his rape convictions.
The 36-year-old former Parramatta Eel was released on Tuesday after a court quashed his rape convictions for a second time.
Hayne spent more than a year behind bars after a jury found him guilty of two counts of sexual intercourse without consent in April 2023.
Hayne, who shed his prison greens, was seen returning to a property in Merrylands in Sydney’s west on Friday.
The NSW Court of Criminal Appeal quashed Hayne’s convictions on Wednesday, citing a judge’s error in not allowing the complainant to be further questioned during the trial.
It is believed Hayne was staying at the property and was seen wearing a Calvin Klein shirt, khaki trousers and holding a coffee cup.
The former football star’s new-found freedom comes amid uncertainty surrounding the prospect of a fourth trial on the charges.
Hayne will return to court on July 26, giving the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions time to decide whether the 36-year-old should be retried.
In an earlier statement, the ODPP said that “any decision on a possible retrial will be made in accordance with prosecutorial guidelines.”
Hayne has always denied the allegations.
Hayne was released on bail without opposition early Wednesday afternoon and the case will return to state district court in late July.
A new trial has been ordered, which would be Hayne’s fourth, but whether there will be a different jury will be a matter for prosecutors.
The state’s highest court overturned Hayne’s conviction after ruling that the judge erred in not allowing further investigation of the complainant.
Hayne has now faced three trials over allegations he sexually assaulted a woman at a Newcastle home on the night of the 2018 NRL Grand Final.
The first trial in 2021 resulted in a hung jury and therefore could not reach a verdict; the subsequent trial in 2021 found him guilty, but the verdict was overturned.
