He gets out on parole in May next year, so “clearing his name” might seem an egotistical process, however I assume that the appeal has a lot to do with the civil claim against him launched by the plaintiff.
BTW I don’t really get what the deleted txt messages actually mean. Anyone ?
Disgraced former NRL star Jarryd Hayne is hoping deleted Facebook messages from a woman he was found guilty of raping in 2018 could be the key to him being freed from jail.
www.dailymail.co.uk
The court was told the woman had listened to Hayne's prior appeal in 2021 and contacted the social media friend on Facebook the same day.
Hayne, 36, has always maintained his innocence, insisting the sexual encounter was consensual.
'
I hope this was worth it for you,' the message read.
'The pain I have endured from all of this is unfathomable. I have never lied. I have never done anything to you and for you to write something to JH about me having him over does not excuse what happened.
'I did not tell you because it was disgusting and confusing for me. If he gets out, you can thank yourself.
'This has been the hardest most painful thing I've ever been through and you can thank yourself for helping a guilty person.'
Hayne's lawyers argue the messages were relevant to the complainant's credibility, demonstrating her contacting a witness in a 'hostile manner'.
They argued the woman 'potentially' had a view to influencing the witness account.
'It also, more importantly, underscores the complainant's attitude to evidence of (the woman), that it did not lend support to her account and that she was angry that the evidence had come to light,' court documents state.
Mr Game said the concealment showed she wanted to get rid of evidence which was 'hurtful' but also because it showed she was 'actually consenting'.
He told the court: 'It's evidence of dishonesty, it also goes to her credibility in a general sense.'
But Crown prosecutor Georgina Wright SC told the court the complainant did not tell the woman about the assault because they were not known well to each other.
'She had never spoken to her and had never met her and said she did not know her at all well,' Ms Wright said.
Ms Wright told the court the complainant had told close friends and family of the assault in the hours after the incident.
But she argued the Facebook message to the social media friend was 'consistent with an expression of frustration with the legal process', denying claims the complainant was concealing messages from police.
Hayne's appeal relies on three grounds – the first being the verdicts were unreasonable and not supported by evidence at trial, secondly, the trial judge erred in ruling the complainant did not have to give evidence about a 2021 interaction with the man she messaged the same day the jury found she was sexually assaulted in 2018, and lastly, that the judge's ruling
resulted in a miscarriage of justice.
Hayne was
sentenced to four years and nine months behind bars for the charges of digital and oral sexual assault, but he will be eligible for parole in May 2025 due to time already served in custody.
Judgment in the appeal will be issued at a later date.
www.smh.com.au
