Why you are banned from seeing new photos of Jarryd Hayne’s wife Amellia – and how she has stood by her man: ‘Unprecedented’

EXCLUSIVE

Jarryd Hayne’s wife is the subject of an extraordinary court order banning the publication of photographs taken of her since the NRL star was jailed for rape.

The order bans all media from publishing photos of Amellia Bonnici or her children that were taken at any time after May 12 last year and have no expiration date.

Judge Graham Turnbull issued the ban order on the day he sentenced Hayne to a minimum of three years in prison following his third trial in the NSW District Court.

The order did not provide an explanation as to why it was issued, but Judge Turnbull had heard evidence that Ms Bonnici had certain ‘health problems’ and that her children had previously been photographed by the media.

Hayne was found guilty of two counts of sexual intercourse without consent with a 26-year-old woman in Newcastle in September 2018.

These convictions were quashed by the Court of Appeal on Wednesday and Hayne was granted bail, but the ban on photographing Ms Bonnici or any of her three children remains.

Lawyers were baffled by the extent of the ban order, which in its current form would prevent the publication of images taken with Ms Bonnici’s consent.

“I think such a broad, no-holds-barred order is both extraordinary and unprecedented,” a media law expert told Ny Breaking Australia.

While the former NRL star has been reunited with his wife and children, he is awaiting a decision from the Director of Public Prosecutions on whether he will face further charges.

The DPP will consider whether further prosecution is in the public interest, as well as factors such as the time the 36-year-old has already spent in custody and whether the prospects of a conviction are reasonable.

One of the three judges who heard Hayne’s appeal, Judge Deborah Sweeney, opposed giving the case to another jury.

“I am of the opinion that, in the circumstances of the history of this case, it would not be in the interests of justice to try the applicant a fourth time,” Justice Sweeney wrote in her ruling.

The Court of Criminal Appeal ruled that Judge Turnbull had erred in not allowing the rape complainant to be further cross-examined at the third trial.

It also found that the judge had not properly informed the jury about how to deal with allegations that the complainant had lied.

A third ground of appeal, which argued that the now quashed guilty verdicts were unsafe or unreasonable, was not accepted.

A non-publication order against photos of Amellia Bonnici did not explain why, but Judge Turnbull had heard evidence that Ms Bonnici had certain “health problems” and that her children had previously been photographed.

Judge Stephen Rothman said in his part of the sentence that a fourth trial is unlikely to go ahead before Hayne’s non-parole period expires in May next year.

‘There is good reason for not having a fourth trial, but in my view, given that the merits of an unreasonable verdict were not upheld, the discretionary power not to have a fourth trial is a power that should be exercised by the Crown be exercised,” he said. wrote.

Mrs Bonnici was not in court on the day her husband was sentenced to a maximum term of four years and nine months, but was present when his bail was revoked four weeks earlier.

She sobbed and hugged Hayne for several minutes before he was led away, telling the former Parramatta Eels fullback she loved him.

Hayne and Ms Bonnici reportedly met via Instagram in early 2016 when he was playing for the Gold Coast Titans.

A few weeks later, Mrs. Bonnici was pregnant with the couple’s first child, daughter Beliviah Ivy.

Mrs Bonnici was not in court on the day her husband was sentenced to a maximum term of four years and nine months, but was present when his bail was revoked four weeks earlier. She was pictured with Hayne in March last year

Hayne had only recently returned from a stint in the United States playing NRL with the San Francisco 49ers and signed a $1 million per year contract with the Titans.

The couple got engaged in late 2020 and married on Australia Day the following year in front of 50 family and friends, including old NRL teammates.

Hayne, who was once a poster boy for Hillsong Church, announced his commitment to Ms Bonnici by posting a verse from the Bible on Instagram.

“Whoever finds a wife finds a good thing and finds favor with the LORD. Proverbs 18:22 NIV,” he wrote.

‘It’s been a rollercoaster. But I am thankful for God and what the Holy Spirit has done through us. It is only by the grace of God that we are here and we were excited to continue as husband and wife.”

At the time, Hayne was out on bail after his first trial on the rape charges ended in a hung jury.

Mrs Bonnici has continued to support her husband during his two periods in custody – the first nine months and the second almost a year. Hayne is pictured leaving the Mary Wade Correctional Center in Sydney’s west on Wednesday evening

Since then, the NSW and Australian representatives have faced two more trials, resulting in Hayne spending time in prison before the convictions were overturned on appeal.

Mrs Bonnici has continued to support her husband during his two periods in custody – the first nine months and the second almost a year.

Two days after Hayne was convicted for a second time in April last year, Ms Bonnici explained why he should be allowed to remain on bail.

Ms Bonnici said she was bombarded with offensive messages on her personal Facebook page and hundreds of threatening messages about Hayne had been posted on Twitter.

She became emotional when asked if she and Hayne had three children. “Yes, we do,” Mrs. Bonnici said, sobbing.

Mrs Bonnici told the court she had a strong relationship with Hayne’s mother Jodie, but her husband’s family were not there to help with the practical aspects of caring for the children.

When asked about the reasons why Hayne should not be in prison, Ms Bonnici said: ‘I can’t even put that into words.’

Judge Turnbull had asked Ms Bonnici whether her children – then aged six, three and one – had been photographed by the media without her consent and she said this was the case.

Asked if the children were aware they were being photographed, Ms Bonnici said the eldest had been ‘besides herself’ this morning.

Judge Turnbull had allowed Hayne to remain at liberty, but his bail was revoked before sentencing.