'Never ending nightmare' as Hayne approaches sentence

May 08, 2023 01:23 PM AEST | By AAPNEWS
 'Never ending nightmare' as Hayne approaches sentence
Image source: AAPNEWS

The woman Jarryd Hayne sexually assaulted says she is living a never ending nightmare almost five years later as he awaits a jail sentence.

The 35-year-old disgraced former NRL star will be sentenced on Friday after being found guilty of two counts of sexual intercourse without consent following a third trial in April.

Crown prosecutor John Sfinas read a victim impact statement on Monday from the woman, who cannot be identified, as lawyers made submissions ahead of sentence.

She says her life has been "launched into what feels like a never ending nightmare" in the almost five years since the assault, something she has been unable to move on from or feel any sense of peace about.

"I am stronger and I am wiser but I am damaged, and I won't ever be the same person," she said in her statement.

Hayne appeared before a packed courtroom in prison greens, sitting in the dock opposite supporters who were asked to sit in the jury box due to capacity restrictions.

Hayne spent almost an hour in the woman's home on the night of the 2018 NRL grand final and only assaulted her for 30 seconds using his hands and mouth, his barrister Margaret Cunneen SC said.

"In the context, the nature of the sexual offences is relevant and it is a matter tending towards less serious," Ms Cunneen said.

The judge who sentenced Hayne last time he was found guilty over the same offending was "not as fully apprised" of the evidence as NSW District Court Judge Graham Turnbull following a third trial, she said.

Judge Turnbull said he would not be relying on the previous judgment in his decision.

He was also unlikely to find any mitigating, or aggravating circumstances in Hayne's offending, he said.

"There are often very significant aggravating features," the judge noted.

The Crown has accepted the judge could reduce Hayne's sentence due to extra-curial punishment and public opprobrium during the high-profile footballer's trials on rape charges.

"The media has been extremely negative about this," Ms Cunneen said, telling the court Hayne's wife had avoided coming to the hearing due to the enduring coverage.

She held his hand as photographers captured Hayne walking into court for the last time in April as the NSW Supreme Court sent him into custody.

He was "remarkably" still on bail 10 days after being found guilty of committing two "extremely grave sexual offences", Justice Richard Button said then.

A taxi Hayne paid $550 to drive him to Sydney following a bucks weekend waited outside the victim's suburban Newcastle home while he played her songs on a laptop and watched the end of the grand final as her mother sat in the living room.

Following the assault, the pair cleaned blood off themselves in her ensuite and Hayne continued to Sydney, his trial heard.

Hayne previously spent more than nine months in custody before an earlier guilty verdict was overturned on appeal, requiring another trial.

The trial beginning in March was Hayne's third on charges laid in November 2018.

The jury in the first trial was discharged after being unable to reach a verdict.

Hayne's sentence will be backdated to July 2, 2022, to account for previous time in custody.

He played most of his 214 NRL games for the Parramatta Eels as well as representing Australia and Fiji, selected for 23 State of Origin matches, including NSW's drought-breaking series win in 2014, the same year he won his second Dally M medal.

1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)

National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028


Disclaimer

The content, including but not limited to any articles, news, quotes, information, data, text, reports, ratings, opinions, images, photos, graphics, graphs, charts, animations and video (Content) is a service of Kalkine Media Pty Ltd (“Kalkine Media, we or us”), ACN 629 651 672 and is available for personal and non-commercial use only. The principal purpose of the Content is to educate and inform. The Content does not contain or imply any recommendation or opinion intended to influence your financial decisions and must not be relied upon by you as such. Some of the Content on this website may be sponsored/non-sponsored, as applicable, but is NOT a solicitation or recommendation to buy, sell or hold the stocks of the company(s) or engage in any investment activity under discussion. Kalkine Media is neither licensed nor qualified to provide investment advice through this platform. Users should make their own enquiries about any investments and Kalkine Media strongly suggests the users to seek advice from a financial adviser, stockbroker or other professional (including taxation and legal advice), as necessary.
The content published on Kalkine Media also includes feeds sourced from third-party providers. Kalkine does not assert any ownership rights over the content provided by these third-party sources. The inclusion of such feeds on the Website is for informational purposes only. Kalkine does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the content obtained from third-party feeds. Furthermore, Kalkine Media shall not be held liable for any errors, omissions, or inaccuracies in the content obtained from third-party feeds, nor for any damages or losses arising from the use of such content.
Kalkine Media hereby disclaims any and all the liabilities to any user for any direct, indirect, implied, punitive, special, incidental or other consequential damages arising from any use of the Content on this website, which is provided without warranties. The views expressed in the Content by the guests, if any, are their own and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of Kalkine Media. Some of the images/music that may be used on this website are copyrighted to their respective owner(s). Kalkine Media does not claim ownership of any of the pictures displayed/music used on this website unless stated otherwise. The images/music that may be used on this website are taken from various sources on the internet, including paid subscriptions or are believed to be in public domain. We have made reasonable efforts to accredit the source wherever it was indicated as or found to be necessary.
This disclaimer is subject to change without notice. Users are advised to review this disclaimer periodically for any updates or modifications.


AU_advertise

Advertise your brand on Kalkine Media

Sponsored Articles


Investing Ideas

Previous Next
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.