New development in disgraced footy star Jarryd Hayne’s rape conviction as disgraced footy star’s case returns to court
- Jarryd Hayne will appeal his rape conviction later this year
- NRL star was found guilty of sexual intercourse without consent
- His lawyer argued that the sentence was ‘unreasonable and unjustifiable’
Disgraced former NRL star Jarryd Hayne will return to court later this year to appeal his conviction for raping a woman in her home on Grand Final night more than five years ago.
The two-time Dally M winner was found guilty of sexually assaulting the woman in her Newcastle home last year after a high-profile trial in the NSW District Court.
He was sentenced to four years and nine months in prison for the attack, but will be eligible for parole in May next year because he has already spent some time in custody.
His barrister Margaret Cunneen SC argued the guilty verdict was ‘unreasonable and unjustified’ and ‘not supported by evidence’.
Hayne’s lawyer Phoebe MacDougall appeared before the Court of Criminal Appeal on Thursday to set a date for the appeal to be heard.
Jarryd Hayne will return to court this year to appeal his rape conviction
Hayne’s lawyer argued that the guilty verdict was ‘unreasonable and unjustifiable’ and ‘not supported by evidence’ (pictured, Hayne plays for Parramatta)
She told the court the Parramatta Eels star is appealing his conviction based on evidence that emerged during the trial.
Clerk George Galanis set the appeal hearing for April 3.
Hayne will call into the courtroom via audiovisual link for the appeal hearing, which is expected to last four hours.
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.
The disgraced NRL star (pictured outside court with his wife Amellia Bonnici) was found guilty of two counts of sexual intercourse without consent
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.