After a jury determined that Jarryd Hayne sexually assaulted a woman at her Newcastle home in 2018, the former NRL player was given a sentence of four years and nine months in prison.
Due to time already spent, the former professional footballer will be qualified for parole in less than two years.
Hayne’s offenses were “below mid-range,” according to Sydney’s Downing Court’s Judge Graham Turnbull, and he posed a “seemingly low risk of reoffending.”
A hung jury resulted in the first of Hayne’s three assault trials, and the second’s guilty judgment was overturned.
His current punishment is less severe than his prior one, which was five years and nine months.
The judge praised the victim for bringing Hayne to justice but also outlined a number of mitigating circumstances, such as his good moral character and the difficult conditions in jail resulting from his notoriety.
Before the video link cut off, Hayne was heard saying “say no more” after the sentence was read aloud.
Amellia Bonnici, his wife, did not attend either the sentence hearing on Monday or the verdict announcement today.
A jury found Hayne guilty of two charges of having sex without permission last month.
The allegations related to oral and digital penetration, both of which occurred the weekend before the 2018 NRL championship game.
Hayne took a taxi to the woman’s house on his way back to Sydney after attending a friend’s buck’s party in Newcastle.
Despite the victim saying “no” and “stop,” it was discovered that Hayne continued for 30 seconds.
In reference to Hayne’s physical stature, Judge Graham Turnbull stated that he finally used the victim as “some kind of sexual object.”
“Knowing the complainant was not consenting, he overwhelmed her in an indulgence of physical power to achieve some sexual gratification,” claimed Mr. Turnbull.
He praised the victim for her fortitude and noted that she “was not passive in the face of adversity”.
She shouldn’t be held accountable, Mr. Turnbull added.
“She should not feel in any way unclean or unsafe.”
In a conviction that was overturned on appeal, a prior court deemed the offense to be mid-range and imposed a five years and nine months term.
The judge went into great length regarding the mitigating circumstances that made the incident seem less serious.
Mr. Turnbull claimed that because Hayne is well-known and is being detained in isolation for his own safety, the penalties are more severe for him.
He informed the court, “This offense constitutes a fall into infamy.”
He also discussed Hayne’s difficult upbringing, involvement in the community, and family life.
A new statement from the victim was presented in court on Monday to inform the judge’s sentencing decision, in which she described the incident as the start of “a never-ending nightmare.”
Due to the sexual texts sent between Hayne and the victim before the assault, Hayne’s attorney Margaret Cunneen SC contended that the charges were less serious than those for previous offenses.
Hayne must be held in isolation for his own protection, and Ms. Cunneen urged the judge to recognize this even though the prosecution emphasized Hayne’s tremendous strength and the victim’s obvious complaints.
Before his convictions were overturned and he was granted bail in February of last year, Hayne served nine months of his previous sentence at the Cooma Correctional Centre.
On May 6, 2025, he will become eligible for release.
