What we weren’t allowed to tell you about the Jarryd Hayne trial
A woman who was sexually assaulted by former NRL star Jarryd Hayne was so emotional on the day of his appeal that she banged on the door of a man who would later become a defense witness, telling him he had ruined my appeal’.
Hayne was found guilty on Tuesday of sexually assaulting the woman without her consent at her home in Newcastle on the night of the 2018 NRL grand final.
The jury of six men and six women reached their verdict after six days of deliberations following the NSW District Court’s 11-day trial.
But before the jury was assembled on March 13, Crown Prosecutor John Sfinas and barrister Margaret Cunneen faced SC four days prior to trial before Judge Graham Turnbull.
During those hearings, the court was told of a “social media campaign” in connection with the trial.
Hayne’s lawyer Ms Cunneen told the court that Brittany Higgins and Grace Tame had posted messages regarding the trial, criticizing Hayne’s legal team.
The court also heard how the victim sent defense witness Steven Page several foul-mouthed text messages, culminating in an angry visit where she smashed his front door and demanded to see him. Later the police were called.
The court heard Hayne (pictured outside court on Monday) would ‘never sexually force herself on a woman in a way that is criminal’
Hayne, photographed after the Blues won the 2014 State of Origin series, interacted with a number of friends and former teammates following the alleged incident over the alleged victim
Meanwhile, during the legal arguments, Judge Turnbull decided to allow text messages between the victim and Steven Page on the day of the attack.
“You ruined my call”
At trial, the jury was told that the woman had sent him multiple text messages the same day she saw Hayne.
The first said, “You made me feel fucking horrible today, bye” with a waving emoji.
The woman then wrote, “Go talk to me or I won’t… at least answer me and stop being ad**k.”
The jury was told that Mr. Page then wrote to the woman, ‘You really lost me with Jarryd. Hayne is your side boy.”
But the woman denied that he was her side boy.
‘He isn’t. He contacted me last night and asked for my number and called me, I said no to him,” the text to Mr. Page said.
The woman kept asking if the man would come over before saying she felt “like an idiot.”
She messaged again, “K (sic) if you’re not gonna say yes, I’ll say yes to Jarryd Hayne.”
Mr Page said he didn’t speak to the woman again that day, but she continued to send further messages saying, “You said maybe, so I’m asking aren’t you?” I feel like a goddamn idiot, are you coming over?’
Another message said, “K, if we don’t keep talking I’m going to say yes to Jarryd Hayne coming here to hang out when he’s done with his friends; otherwise I won’t let him in.’
Hayne, pictured leaving court with wife Amellia, said the court sex with the alleged victim was a “best-case scenario”
“Omg (sic) give me his signature cutie xx,” Mr. Page replied before saying, “I never said I’d come over.”
The jury was told that the woman had sent another six messages to Mr. Page.
She kept asking if he would come over before saying “stop talking to me altogether” and calling him a jerk.
The woman also said his lack of response “upset” her and “made me feel so down.”
“You said maybe so I’m asking if you aren’t,…I feel like a fucking idiot…are you coming over…k(sic)…if we don’t keep talking I’m going to say yes to Jarryd’, read more posts.
During the pre-trial argument, Judge Turnbull told the court on the day of the appeal for Hayne’s previous trial, November 29, 2021, that the woman had followed the procedure through AVL.
After seeing Mr Page’s text messages on the appeal, the court was told that the woman angrily went to his apartment around 11:45 am.
“She’s overseeing the unit and acting like this, she calls Mr. Page, but he doesn’t answer,” Judge Turnbull said.
“She bangs on the door and says ‘you screwed up my call’.”
The court heard that when the police were called.
The woman then told a police officer: ‘if those messages come out, I’m fucked and he’ll get out’.
Judge Turnbull told the court that Mr. Page’s roommate was in the unit and opened the door.
The alleged victim texted another man on the same day as the alleged attack
“She said, ‘Tell Steve he just screwed me over with the appeal,'” Judge Turnbull said.
He said the woman appeared to be “very agitated and angry” at the time, as it was a “situational event that came out of necessity” in the way she saw the appeal going.
The woman’s “expected outcome” regarding the appeal was correct, Judge Turnbull said.
He said the woman’s statement was not inaccurate “in the eyes of a layman” with an emotional attachment to the case.
Judge Turnbull said he did not see the need to investigate the case further, saying it had “almost infinitesimal weight.”
He ruled that it was not necessary to inquire, clarify or ask what was on the woman’s mind during the outburst during the trial.
At trial, the jury was told that Mr Page’s evidence had been removed from the woman’s phone before she handed it over to police.
Mr Page was a brand new witness in this trial after the judge in the second trial in 2021 refused to turn over his evidence to the jury.
Social media campaign
Ms Cunneen told the court she wanted to run a ‘social media campaign’ in connection with the trial.
After the defense requested that the victim return to the witness stand to discuss further evidence, Ms Cunneen said it was criticized on social media.
“Brittany Higgins, Grace Tame and others have been very critical of Mr Hayne’s lawyers for making this application,” she said.
Judge Turnbull said the woman had chosen to testify herself.
When the judge asked her what she could do about it, Ms Cunneen said it was a ‘jury matter’.
“Ultimately it will be our application that you have to reinforce with the jury. Whatever applications have been submitted, social media should be ignored,” she said.
Judge Turnbull said he would make it “absolutely clear” that there would be no access to social media.